Operation Pawan
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Operation Pawan was the codename assigned to the operations by the Indian Peace Keeping Force to take control of Jaffna from the LTTE in late 1987 to enforce the disarmament of the LTTE as a part of the Indo-Sri Lankan Accord. In brutal fighting that took about three weeks, the IPKF took control of the Jaffna Peninsula from the LTTE rule, something that the Sri Lankan army had tried and failed to achieve for several years. Supported by Indian Army tanks, helicopter gunships and heavy artillery, the IPKF routed the LTTE. But this victory came at a price, as the IPKF lost around 1200 soldiers.[1]
The operation also saw significant contributions from the Indian Air Force, as well as the Indian Navy. The Eastern Command of the Indian Navy, supported by the Coast Guards was key in establishing a 300-mile long blockade around the Northern Sri Lanka from October 1987 to disprupt the Tigers' supply and communications routes[2]. In addition, it was around this time the MARCOS commandos of the Navy first went into action.Detatchments of the IMSF (Indian Marine Special Forces, as the MARCOS was then known as) , along with a battalion of the 340th Independent Brigade of the Indian Army, provided beach reconnaissance around Jaffna and Batticaloa.[3] On 21 October 1987, the commandos conducted a successful amphibious raid against a LTTE base at Guru Nagar.
The 340th Brigade was one of the forst IPKF units to be deployed, and served until operations in the Trincomalee area were complete. The IMSF, at this time, also provided security patrols along the coastal road west of Jaffna until the 41st Brigade took charge.[3]
