Battle of Mullaitivu ( 1996 ) The Battle of Mullaitivu ( codenamed Operation Unceasing Waves by the Tamil Tigers ) , was a battle that occurred between 18 – 25 July 1996 for the control of the town of Mullaitivu in Sri Lanka . The battle was fought between units of the Sri Lankan Army ( SLA ) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ( LTTE ) . Background . Following a major defeat in late 1995 when the LTTE lost control of the Jaffna peninsula to the Sri Lankan Army in Operation Riviresa , the LTTE moved to the jungles of the Wanni region . Afterwards the Sri Lankan government and press repeatedly claimed that two - thirds of the LTTE ' s fighting strength had been destroyed . To counter this - and to increase its image internationally - the LTTE planned and trained a group of 4 , 000 cadres for an attack on the SLA base at Mullaitivu . LTTE founder and leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was personally involved in the planning and coordination of this operation , codenamed ' Unceasing Waves ' . The Sri Lankan army base at Mullaitivu covered a vast area and was bordered by the sea on one side . The camp occupied an area 2900m long by 1500 wide with a perimeter of 8500m . It had initially been set up as a smaller camp in the early Eighties . Over subsequent years , the camp was expanded to cover most of the small town of Mullaitivu , which was the administrative centre of the Mullaitivu district . The isolated base was the 215 Brigade Headquarters which had no road links to any other garrisons situated in the region . Based there were 6th Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment and the 9th battalion of the Sinha Regiment . On the day of the attack the two most senior officers , the officiating brigade commander , Colonel ( later Major General ) Lawrence Fernando and his deputy , Lt . Colonel Gunaratne , were away in Colombo on duty leave . Battle . The Tigers launched their assault at 1 . 30am on 18 July 1996 . After eight hours of heavy fighting , the Tiger forces reached the centre of the camp , having overrun forward defense lines and clusters of mini - camps . The Tiger units then concentrated on attacking the artillery sites and armories . These were captured later after intense fighting . The attack was paused short of the very heart of the base , which was the operational headquarters of the 6th Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment . The LTTE commanders leading the attack were ordered to regroup their forces and to await nightfall before storming the central camp . In response to the attack the Sri Lankan military planned and put into motion operation ' Thrivida Pahara ' before dawn . The plan called for a relief force to be transported by ship to the sea off the coast of Mullaitivu from Jaffna and to be landed by smaller boats close to the base . Meanwhile the Sri Lanka Air Force carried out attacks on the LTTE . Due to the delay of the transport of troops by sea , initial landings were carried out on the 19th by an all - volunteer force of 275 elite commandos from the 1st Special Forces Regiment led by their CO Lieutenant Colonel A . F . Lafir , who were heli - dropped under heavy LTTE fire and made radio contact with the besieged troops . Although wounded , Lt . Col . Lafir personally lead the attack under direct enemy fire after landing near Alampil until he was killed . He was awarded the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya , the highest award for combat bravery in Sri Lanka . The commandos were reinforced on the 19th when troops began to make landings by sea under the protection of Sri Lankan Navy ' s fast attack crafts . That evening LTTEs Sea Tigers attacked the naval force in suicide boats heavily laden with explosives . The large gunboat SLNS Ranaviru was rammed , causing the Ranaviru to sink instantly with its entire crew of 36 . Following this landings were halted . The Tiger units launched a holding attack on the relief force and concentrated on the central camp . In the evening of 19 July , the entire camp fell to the Tigers . However troops at the beachhead had established contact with some of the troops of Mullaitivu who were isolated from the overrun main base . On 20 July , SLAF Mi - 17 helicopters found LTTE resistance too heavy to effect more troops landings in the area where the commandos had landed . They therefore made a landing some distance away . An Mi - 17 helicopter was damaged by LTTE fire . On the 21st a beachhead was established by seaborne troops 5 km south of the base , this was done while under heavy mortar attacks by the LTTE . It was not until 23 July troops had reached the base against fierce resistance . By the time the advance troops reached the southern perimeter of the base , they discovered that the military base and town had been razed to the ground . The troops reported that they were greeted by the unbearable stench of decayed and dismembered bodies . 24 and 25 July saw the troops withdraw after the higher command had decided to abandon the relief of the destroyed base . This concluded the battle . Aftermath . During the battle the Sri Lankan military lost at least 1 , 200 troops . The Sri Lankan Military alleged that 207 soldiers who had surrendered to the LTTE were executed with hundreds appeared to have been herded together , doused with gasoline , and burned to death . It has also been reported that others were found dead clutching white flags of surrender . Eighty were lost from the relief force . The LTTE claimed 332 cadres killed . During the battle the LTTE captured significant amounts of weapons and equipment from the base , including two 122mm artillery guns and a few 120 mm mortars . Since the base was the only major SLA presence in the Mullaitivu district , LTTE gained control over the area after the troops withdrew on the 25th . Thus it constituted a major victory for the LTTE .