2008 – 09 Battle of Kilinochchi The Battle of Kilinochchi was a land battle fought between the Sri Lankan Military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ( LTTE ) for the control of the town of Kilinochchi in the Northern Theater of Eelam War IV during the Sri Lankan civil war between November 2008 and January 2009 . The town of Kilinochchi was the administrative center and de facto capital of the LTTE ' s proposed state of Tamil Eelam . The Sri Lankan Army ( SLA ) conducted an offensive through the months of November and December 2008 during which three attempts were made to capture the town during the month of December . These were thwarted by the LTTE , and both sides claimed that they suffered minimal casualties while inflicting maximum damage on the other during these assaults . The Sri Lanka Air Force launched air strike s against LTTE positions in Kilinochchi throughout this period . On 2 January 2009 , divisions of the Sri Lanka Army advanced into Kilinochchi from the northern , southern and western directions of the town , and the LTTE fighters withdrew into positions in nearby jungles . Mahinda Rajapaksa , the president of Sri Lanka , later announced that the military had taken control of the town and urged the LTTE to lay down arms and surrender . However , the LTTE stated that the SLA captured a " ghost town " after they withdrew , and described it as an insignificant loss . After Kilinochchi was captured , several foreign governments urged both parties to seek a political solution . The Colombo Stock Exchange recorded a rise and the rupee stabilized , while celebrators lit firecrackers on the streets soon after the capture was declared . Amidst the celebrations , a suicide bomb attack occurred in the evening in front of the air force headquarters in Colombo , killing 3 and wounding about 30 people . The SLA continued to advance into LTTE held territory , capturing some more strategically important locations , including Elephant Pass and the entire A9 Highway soon after the fall of Kilinochchi . History and background . The Sri Lanka Army withdrew from Kilinochchi in 1990 , enabling the LTTE to take control of the town for the first time . The SLA recaptured it during operations Sathjaya I , II , and III in September 1996 . However , the LTTE launched Operation Unceasing Waves II in September 1998 and captured the town again , forcing the SLA to vacate it . This battle caused heavy casualties to both sides , and the loss was described by the then military spokesman , Brigadier Sunil Tennakoon , as " the largest blow after Mullaitivu " . Although Kilinochchi is not a strategically important location in terms of military operations , it bears a symbolic importance because of the LTTE using it as the de facto capital of Tamil Eelam , the separate state that the LTTE is fighting for . Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Colonel Karuna , a former commander of the LTTE , claimed that the town of Kilinochchi was important for the LTTE because it was the showcase of the organization According to government claims , all civil administrative affairs were handled by government authorities despite the LTTE being in control of the town . Administrative Capital . After 2002 , the LTTE used Kilinochchi as the administrative hub of the area under its control . The LTTE established a Police force , named Tamil Eelam Police Force , Peace Secretariat and Bank in areas under its control and Kilinochchi housed the headquarters for these entities . The Tamil Tigers also established and implemented a Judicial system which consisted of district courts , high courts and supreme court as well as a court of appeal . The supreme court was also located in Kilinochchi . Preparations . After the Sri Lankan military captured the Eastern Province from the LTTE , it advanced rapidly into LTTE - held territory in the Northern Province . The town of Kilinochchi was a major target for the troops during this offensive . With the SLA advancing on several fronts , the 57 Division and Task Force 1 ( now 58 Division ) operated on the Kilinochchi front with the objective of capturing the town . The overall operation was led by Major General Jagath Jayasuriya , the Wanni Security Forces Commander . Both divisions advanced from the west of the country , with 57 Division approaching Kilinochchi from the south and west , while the Task Force 1 advanced further northwards , capturing other key strongholds of the LTTE in order to converge on Kilinochchi from the north . By early October , Kilinochchi had been vacated by its residents and units of the Kilinochchi hospital , banks and several government institutions were relocated at Tharmapuram , a village away . 57 Division , led by Major General Jagath Dias , captured Akkarayankulam on 18 October 2008 , a large village located to the southwest of Kilinochchi . The capture of this village enabled the SLA to attack Kilinochchi from the southwest . The Iranamadu junction , located to the south of Kilinochchi was also captured later , enabling the SLA to advance towards Kilinochchi from the south . Troops from the 57 Division earlier captured several LTTE strongholds such as Adampan and Kokavil The Task Force 1 , led by Brigadier Shavendra Silva , advanced along the western coast , capturing several strategically important locations including the Mannar " Rice Bowl " area , Viddathalthivu , and Nachchikuda . The Task Force 1 launched an attack on Pooneryn on 15 November 2008 , spearheaded by troops from the 2nd and 3rd Commando Regiments and a squadron of Special Forces , and captured the area . From there , the Task Force 1 moved west and captured Paranthan on 31 December 2008 , enabling the SLA to attack Kilinochchi from the north . The LTTE constructed earth bunds and trenches around the town to halt the advance of the Sri Lankan military . One such earth bund was constructed to the south . Another stretched across the B69 Pooneryn – Paranthan road , along the western side of the town . The LTTE had deployed their elite units , the Charles Anthony and Imran Pandiyan brigades along with other regular units under the command of Theepan , Bhanu and Lawrence for the defence of Kilinochchi . Meanwhile , the SLA began launching artillery attacks , while the Air Force launched air raids against LTTE positions in and around Kilinochchi . One such attack targeted the LTTE office complex in Kilinochchi . The government declared in October 2008 that it was ready to capture Kilinochchi . However , LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran declared in an email interview that capturing Kilinochchi was " just a daydream of President Mahinda Rajapaksa " . Timeline . The Sri Lankan military began attacking Kilinochchi from three directions on 23 November 2008 . Throughout the month of December , the SLA conducted three offensives in an attempt to take Kilinochchi . Heavy monsoon rains affected both sides during the months of November and December , with floods covering a large area in and around Kilinochchi . Troop movements were limited by this , and mines had been scattered around the area by the flood waters . Throughout the offensive , the Sri Lanka Air Force carried out numerous air strikes against Kilinochchi in support of the SLA . On 10 December , the LTTE claimed to have blunted the first SLA offensive and killed 89 soldiers . However , the SLA claimed to have lost only 20 soldiers and killed 27 rebels . On 16 December , the SLA launched a multi - front offensive against Kilinochchi . This assault was defeated by the LTTE , who claimed that SLA casualties in this battle were 130 soldiers dead and more than 300 wounded . They also claimed to have captured 28 bodies of army soldiers . However , the SLA denied this and claimed to have had only 25 soldiers killed , 18 missing and 160 wounded while they killed 120 Tigers . Heavy artillery and mortar fire was exchanged between both sides during the battle . Fighting continued for 10 days after this battle , during which period the SLA managed to capture some parts of the earth bund to the west of Kilinochchi . On 20 December , the LTTE mounted a counter - offensive as SLA forces were preparing an assault to capture the village of Iranamadu , located to the south of Kilinochchi . The LTTE claimed that at least 60 soldiers were killed in the battle , but these claims were again disputed by the military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara , who claimed that SLA losses were 12 killed and 12 missing . Capture . LTTE started to withdraw its personnel from Kilinochchi with the fall of Paranthan on 31 December 2008 , as divisions of the Sri Lanka Army began surrounding the town . On 2 January 2009 , the Sri Lanka Army entered the town of Kilinochchi . The SLA claimed they encountered only minimal resistance once it entered the town , as the rebels had withdrawn to positions in nearby jungles . According to the military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara , the SLA entered the town from three directions , overcoming pockets of LTTE resistance . The troop movements started on the dawn of 2 January , when units of the 57 Division advanced across the built up area to the west of Kilinochchi , and entered the town center . More units of the 57 division moved into the town from the south , while the Task Force 1 also advanced into the town from the north along the west and east of the A9 highway . After the capture of the town , the National Flag of Sri Lanka was raised at the town center by the commanding officer of the 57 Division , Major General Jagath Dias , along with the flags of Sri Lanka Army , Air Force , and the 57 Division . The infrastructure of the town was heavily damaged when the SLA took control of it . Most of the houses were badly damaged and a large water tank had been destroyed , which the SLA accused had been done by the LTTE using explosives . According to a senior commander of the SLA , the LTTE had damaged the town ' s infrastructure to obstruct the advance of the Sri Lankan military . Power supply lines in Kilinochchi had also been damaged . However , the LTTE claimed that the town ' s infrastructure had been destroyed by artillery attacks and air raids carried out by the Sri Lankan military . Reactions . The President of Sri Lanka , Mahinda Rajapaksa , announced the capture of Kilinochchi at the Presidential Secretariat on the evening of 2 January , and called for the LTTE to lay down arms and surrender , stating that this would be the " final message " to the LTTE . In his speech , he stated that : The Island editorial described the capture of Kilinochchi as a blow to global terror and that it has sent a strong message that the civilised world is capable of eliminating the scourge of terrorism . Pro - rebel website Tamilnet reported that LTTE fighters and civilians had moved further northeast , and the Sri Lankan military had entered a " virtual ghost town " . Balasingham Nadesan , the LTTE ' s political head , observed that the loss of Kilinochchi was an insignificant setback in the context of their liberation struggle , claiming that : Several foreign governments expressed their views on the capture of Kilinochchi soon after the event . On 2 January 2009 , the United States Department of State urged the Sri Lankan Government and Tamil Tigers to start negotiating over the " legitimate issues " of the Tamils . India ' s Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon stated that there would be no military solution for the problems that are faced by Sri Lanka , regardless of how the military situation fluctuates . He mentioned that there should be a " political understanding within the framework of a united Sri Lanka " within which all communities can be comfortable . A statement was issued by the United Kingdom government as well , urging Sri Lanka to find a political solution . Their statement said that the need for a political solution was " even more urgent " now with the Sri Lankan military capturing Kilinochchi . In addition , Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the British Government , Lord Malloch Brown and Secretary of State for International Development , Douglas Alexander , urged both parties of the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law . The news of the fall of Kilinochchi to the Sri Lankan Military resulted in celebration , including gathering on the streets and lighting firecrackers , in places like Nuwara Eliya , Anuradhapura , Colombo , Ampara and Kalutara . The Government of Sri Lanka claimed that the population in Jaffna celebrated the capture by raising the national flag with anti - LTTE slogans and demonstrations . However Tamilnet , the pro - rebel website , denied these claims and claimed that the public were forced to take part in the celebrations . It claimed that the Sri Lankan Army confiscated the National identity cards of many residents in order to force them to take part . The country officially marked the capture of Kilinochchi on 5 January by hoisting the national flag and observing two minutes of silence to honour the troops , while television and radio stations either blacked out their regular bulletins during this time or played patriotic songs . Aftermath . Following the capture of Kilinochchi by the SLA , the Colombo Stock Exchange recorded a rise of around 5 percent on the news and the Sri Lankan rupee became steady . A few hours after the President of Sri Lanka declared the victory , a suicide bombing was carried out outside the Air Force headquarters in Colombo , in which two air force police officers and a member of the bomb - disposal unit were killed and 30 people wounded . On 3 January 2009 , at least 3 people were injured in another explosion that occurred in Pettah Market , triggered under a parked vehicle . On 6 January , an armed group attacked and damaged the Maharaja Television / Broadcasting Network studios of Capital Maharaja in Pannipitiya , after state owned media accused the media organization of not giving sufficient airtime to report the capture of Kilinochchi . Reporters Without Borders condemned this attack , observing that the attack seemed to have occurred because the media organization ' s " coverage was not patriotic enough " . Soon after the capture of Kilinochchi , the government decided to ban the LTTE . The ban was put into effect from midnight , 7 January , for " using civilians as human shields in uncleared areas and endangering their lives , despite requests by the government to release them " . The military continued its advance into LTTE held territory and captured the key LTTE position at Pallai within a few days . Soon afterward on 9 January , the SLA captured the strategically important Elephant Pass area , which links the Jaffna Peninsula with the mainland . The SLA is continued its offensive with the objective of capturing Mullaitivu , the only remaining major stronghold of the LTTE . Mullaitivu was also captured on 25 January .