Special Task Force
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- This article is about the Sri Lankan Counter-Terrorist force. For the Indian Special Task Force, see Special Task Force (India).
| Special Task Force | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1983 - present |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Branch | Sri Lankan Police |
| Type | Special Forces |
| Role | Counter Terrorism Counter insurgency |
| Size | approx. 6000 personal [1] |
| Nickname | STF |
| Battles/wars | Sri Lankan civil war |
The Special Task Force (STF) was formed in 1983 to operate as a Counter-Terrorist force in Sri Lanka, not as a military force but rather a highly-specialised police unit. It heads the Counter-Terrorist missions and – as the most highly trained police organisation in Sri Lanka– The STF would be the lead unit whenever law enforcement forces engaged the Tamil Tigers. The STF has been stationed in the Eastern Province in Sri Lanka where the LTTE organisation is active. Other units are based in Colombo and they are used as VIP security. They have received training from former British SAS as well as the security forces of Pakistan. The Special Task force has come under criticism for the tactics it employs to counter the LTTE and has been attributed to incidents of abusing human rights[2] and the "arbitrary or unlawful deprivation of life". [3]
Contents |
[edit] History
Following the insurrection in Sri Lanka in 1971, in which many Police Stations were targeted by the insurgents, there were suggestions to train and equip the Police for duties above normal Police functions. However nothing was done until 1983 when the outbreak of violence convinced the government to form a special Counter Terrorist and Counter Insurgency police force called the Special Task Force.
[edit] Formation
When the Special Task Force (STF) was formed in 1983, it comprised mainly of existing policemen. Trained by the Sri Lankan Army in the handling of Infantry weapons and were given basic training in Jungle warfare, They deeply resemble a para-military organisation. The first platoons formed were deployed in the North of Sri Lanka to provide additional support for Police Stations and to stem the LTTE separatists.
The STF was enhanced considerably in 1983 when crack former British Special Air Service (SAS) teams were brought in to provide specialized training in all aspects of counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorist operations.
[edit] Operations
By 1987, heavily involved in the civil war, the STF was in control of the area from Kiran to Potuvil in the Batticaloa Division. The STF was deployed in Company formation into 15 separate camps. When the Indian Peace Keeping Force was moved into the Batticaloa in 1987 as part of the ongoing peace process, the STF was in complete control of Batticoloa, and had restored a level of normalcy to the area. From 1983 to 1987 when the STF was in control over Batticoloa not a single STF camp had come under attack from the LTTE [4].
The Special Task Force has been known to "disappear" individuals from areas it controls. An United Nations commissioned study, has attributed 6% of these disappearances to the Special Task Force, mainly targeting Tamil males from the ages 10 - 35, comparable to the Tamil Tiger 'Terrorist' who constitute less than 2.5% of the 'disappearances' in the area.[5]
In an incident in December 1995, members of the STF in the east commandeered a civilian bus to move quickly to an STF camp at Pudukudiirippu in Batticaloa district which was under attack by the LTTE. They forced the civilians to remain on board, resulting in several civilian deaths when the bus came under LTTE fire. [6]
The 1996 Annual Amnesty International Report on Sri Lanka [7] stated that the STF has been involved in tortures in Colombo.
On Monday, 18 September 2006, 10 unarmed Muslim civilians in the Eastern town of Pottuvil were murdered. All the men were aged between 19-35 and were in the area to repair a broken irrigation system, three of the men were decapitated and the others shot or hacked to death. Initially a BBC report stated that some members of the community accused the Special Task Force of involvement in this incident.[8] However, the local Muslim community, later took back those accusations and have expressed their conviction that the LTTE carried out the massacre.[9] Their claims were further strengthened by F.I. Meera Mohideen, the sole survivour of the attack, who in a later interview released by the Ministry of Defence, stated "...This group of persons were wearing T shirts similar to the ones worn by Tiger terrorists. They spoke fluent Tamil. I can definitely say that they were Tiger terrorists". Link to Video.
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41744.htm
- ^ http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/engASA370101999
- ^ http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41744.htm
- ^ The Pirabhakaran Phenomenon, Part 47, Sachi Sri Kantha, Nuda Veritas on The Muslim Factor
- ^ http://www.disappearances.org/mainfile.php/frep_sl_ne/78/
- ^ http://stockholm.usembassy.gov/human/1995/southasia/sri_lanka.html
- ^ http://www.infolanka.com/org/srilanka/issues/AI(96).html
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5355088.stm
- ^ http://defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20060922_02
