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Operation Poomalai or Eagle Mission 4 was the codename assigned to a mission undertaken by the Indian Air Force to airdrop supplies over the besieged town of Jaffna in Sri Lanka on 4 June 1987 in support of Tamil Tigers during the Sri Lankan Civil War. The Indian Air Force (Devanāgarī भारतीय वायु सेना IAST Bhartiya Vāyu Senā is the air arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group Nabha Sparsham Deeptam ( Sanskrit: नभः स्पर्शं दीप्तम nəbʰəh spərɕəm d̪iːpt̪əm New Delhi (नई दिल्ली ਨਵੀਂ ਦਿੱਲੀ نئی دلی is the Capital city of India. The history of the Indian Air Force began with its establishment in 1932 and continues up to the present day Events 314 - Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh, DFC (15 April 1919- is the only officer of the Indian Air Force to be promoted to Five star rank The head of the Indian Air Force is known as the Chief of the Air Staff (currently Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major The following graphs presents the officer ranks of the Indian Air Force. The Indian Air Force, often abbreviated as the IAF, is the world's fourth largest air force after those of the United States Russia and China and operates more than 1430 combat The Indian Air Force currently operates seven Air Commands. Each Command is headed by a Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the rank of Air Marshal. The Indian Air Force (Devanāgarī भारतीय वायु सेना IAST Bhartiya Vāyu Senā is the air arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the Jaffna or Yazhpanam (யாழ்ப்பாணம் in Tamil meaning யாழ்= Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) "LTTE" redirects here For the Led Zeppelin bootleg see Listen to This Eddie. The Sri Lankan Civil War is an Ongoing conflict on the Island -nation of Sri Lanka.
Jaffna was at the time under blockade by the government troops as a part of Colombo's offensive against the Tamil separatist movement. Colombo ( Sinhala:, ˈkoləmbə Tamil: கொழும்பு is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. Concerned over alleged violations of interests of the Tamils, who had broader support among the Tamil population of South India as well as the government, India attempted to negotiate a political settlement but the Indian offers had been rebuffed by Colombo. Tamil people (also called Tamils or Tamilians) ( are an Ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, a state in India, and the north-eastern South India is the area encompassing India 's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union As civilian casualties grew[1][2], calls grew within India to intervene in what was increasingly seen in the Indian (and Tamil)Media as a developing humanitarian crisis, especially with reports use of aerial support against rebel positions in civilian areas[3][2]. The Indian Government under Rajiv Gandhi decided to attempt to deliver aid to the northern area of Sri Lanka as a symbolic act of support to the rebels. Rajiv Gandhi राजीव गांधी (raːdʒiːv gaːnd̪ʰiː born in Bombay, (20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991 the elder son of Indira and Feroze The first of these efforts, a small naval flotilla, was thwarted by the Sri Lankan Navy. Two days later, in a show of force, India mounted the airdrop over Jaffna. Show of force is a military term for an operation intended to warn or intimidate an opponent and to showcase one's own capability or will to act if provoked
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Background
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The ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka can be traced to the independence of the island in 1948 when it achieved independence from Britain. The Sri Lankan Civil War is an Ongoing conflict on the Island -nation of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island Traditionally the recorded History of Sri Lanka boasts of 25 chronicled centuries Origins of the Sri lankan civil war is highlighted by the continuous political rancor between the majority Sinhalese and the minority Tamils Black July is the commonly used name for the Pogroms starting in Sri Lanka on July 23 1983. Following is a List of riots and pogroms in Sri Lanka 1915 riots The first reported organized riots in Sri Lanka were against the minority Sri Lankan Muslims Major human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, as well as the United States Department of State and the European Union, Various Non-governmental organizations and individuals have accused the Sri Lankan government of committing state terrorism Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups rose to prominence in the 1970s to fight the state of Sri Lanka to create an independent Tamil Eelam. "LTTE" redirects here For the Led Zeppelin bootleg see Listen to This Eddie. The following is a list of attacks attributed to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE commonly known as the Tamil Tigers The expulsion of the Muslims from the Northern province was an act of Ethnic cleansing carried out by the Tamil militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Percy Mahinda Rajapaksa (commonly known as Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sinhala මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ; maˈhində ˈraːjəˌpakʂə born November Velupillai Prabhakaran (வேலுப்பிள்ளை பிரபாகரன் born November 26, 1954) also known informally as Thambi (தம்பி Colonel Karuna Amman is the Nom de guerre of Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan (born 1966 the President of the TMVP ( TamilEela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal Lieutenant Colonel (Ret Nandasena Gotabhaya Rajapaksa RWP, RSP, GR is the current Permanent Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, rcds psc, SLSR is a Sri Lankan Army officer who has served throughout Sri Lankan Civil War See also Sri Lankan Civil War Sri Lanka, from the early part of the 1980s was facing an increasingly violent ethnic strife Indian Peace Keeping Force ( IPKF; Hindi: भारतीय शान्ति सेना was the Indian military contingent performing a Peacekeeping Rajiv Gandhi राजीव गांधी (raːdʒiːv gaːnd̪ʰiː born in Bombay, (20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991 the elder son of Indira and Feroze Research and Analysis Wing ( RAW or R&AW) is India 's external Intelligence agency. The Military of Sri Lanka consists of Three Branches which are the Army, Navy, Air Force which comes under the Ministry of Defence. Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP ( தமிழ் மக்கள் விடுதலைப்புலிகள், Tamil Peoples Liberation Tigers) also The Eelam People's Democratic Party is a Political party and a Paramilitary organization in Sri Lanka. Since the onset of the Sri Lankan Civil War in 1983 militant and paramilitary groups have assassinated many Public figures on suspicion of being sympathizers or informants Military use of children in Sri Lanka has been an internationally recognized problem since the inception of the Sri Lankan civil war in 1983. The Sri Lankan Civil War is an Ongoing conflict on the Island -nation of Sri Lanka. Indian Peace Keeping Force ( IPKF; Hindi: भारतीय शान्ति सेना was the Indian military contingent performing a Peacekeeping "LTTE" redirects here For the Led Zeppelin bootleg see Listen to This Eddie. Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located At the time, a Sinhala majority government was instituted which passed legislation that were deemed discriminatory against the substantial Tamil minority population. The Sinhalese are the main ethnic group of Sri Lanka. They speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and number approximately 15 million people with the Tamil people (also called Tamils or Tamilians) ( are an Ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, a state in India, and the north-eastern In the 1970s, two major Tamil parties united to form the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) that started agitation for a separate state of Tamil Eelam within the system in a federal structure in the north and eastern Sri Lanka[4] that would grant the Tamils greater autonomy. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Tamil Eelam ( Tamil: தமிழ் ஈழம் tamiḻ īḻam) is the name given by certain Tamil groups in Sri Lanka to the state which they aspire Outside the TULF, however, factions advocating more radical and militant courses of action soon emerged, and the ethnic divisions started flaring into a violent civil war. [4]
The first round of violence flared in 1983 when the killing of 13 soldiers of the Sri Lankan army sparked anti-Tamil riots in which nearly four hundred Tamils were killed. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) The riots only aided in the deterioration of the already worsening ethnic strife, the militant factions, notably the LTTE, at this time recruited in large numbers and continued building on popular Tamil dissent and stepped up the guerrilla activities. "LTTE" redirects here For the Led Zeppelin bootleg see Listen to This Eddie. Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc By May 1985, the guerrillas were strong enough to launch an attack on Anuradhapura, attacking the Bodhi Tree shrine–a sacred site for Buddhist Sinhalese–followed by a rampage through the town. MAY ( also known as: Mei メイ 메이 is a Korean singer well known in South Korea for singing the song "Miracle" Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Anuradhapura, (අනුරාධපුර in Sinhala, அனுராதபுரம் in Tamil) is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous History The tree is said to be the southern branch of the Jaya Siri Maha Bodhi at Bodh Gaya in India under which Buddha attained Enlightenment At least 150 civilians died in the hour-long attack.
The government stepped up its campaign against the insurgency, and the Sri Lankan army in 1987 laid siege on the town of Jaffna, an LTTE stronghold, as a part of its campaign against the Tamil bases. Jaffna or Yazhpanam (யாழ்ப்பாணம் in Tamil meaning யாழ்= [5] This resulted in large-scale civilian casualties and created a condition of humanitarian crisis. A humanitarian crisis (or "humanitarian disaster" is an event or series of events which represents a critical threat to the health safety security or wellbeing of a community [6] India, which had a substantial Tamil population in South India, had been aiding the Tamil factions and particularly the LTTE[7] and called on the Sri Lankan government to halt the offensive in an attempt to negotiate a political settlement. South India is the area encompassing India 's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union However, the Indian efforts were futile. Failing to negotiate an end to the crisis with Sri Lanka, India announced on 2 June 1987 that it wound send a convoy of unarmed ships to northern Sri Lanka to provide humanitarian assistance[8]but this was intercepted by the Srilankan Navy and turned back. Events 455 - The Vandals enter Rome, and plunder the city for two weeks [9]
Following the failure of the naval mission, the decision was made–both as a show of force to the Sri Lankan government, of symbolic support to the Tamil rebel as well as an act what was termed to preserve the credibility of Rajiv Gandhi–by the Indian Government to carry out an airdrop of the humanitarian supplies, designated Operation Poomalai (Tamil: Garland) or Eagle Mission 4[6]
Operation Poomalai
Mounted on the evening of 4 June 1987, the operation involved five An-32s of the Paratroop Training School in Agra, escorted by five Mirage 2000s of the No.7 Squadron. Show of force is a military term for an operation intended to warn or intimidate an opponent and to showcase one's own capability or will to act if provoked Rajiv Gandhi राजीव गांधी (raːdʒiːv gaːnd̪ʰiː born in Bombay, (20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991 the elder son of Indira and Feroze Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Agra ( pronounced) (आगरा آگرا is a city on the banks of the Yamuna River in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout No 7 Squadron Indian Air Force ( Battle Axes) operates as a CAS and Air superiority unit On the morning of 3 June, 7 squadron was directed to send a five-ship detachment to Bangalore Airport, where they were redirected to Yelahanka airbase north of the city. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Bengaluru International Airport ( Kannada:ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಅಂತಾರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ವಿಮಾನ ನಿಲ್ದಾಣ is a International WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Yelahanka is a suburb of Bangalore in the Indian state of Karnataka originally At the same time, under the supervision of the (then) Vice-Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal S Raghavendran, five An-32s were loaded with the relief supplies and these took off for Bangalore at 0800 hours. This article is about the air force rank Air marshal (or Sky marshal) is also the term given to federal security agents who travel undercover aboard commercial These were to fly out, led by Gp Capt BK Sunder- CO of Paratroop Training School, after light and carry out the supply drop under the cover of the Mirages which were led by Wg Cdr Ajit Bhavnani- CO No. The commanding officer ( CO) is the officer in command of a Military unit. The commanding officer ( CO) is the officer in command of a Military unit. 7 Squadron. [10] A group of 35 national and international journalists also joined the flight. The Mirages were armed with two Matra Magic II AAMs as a measure against any opposition by the Sri Lankan Air Force, and also carried three drop tanks. The R550 Magic is a short-range Missile designed in 1968 by French company Matra to compete with the American AIM-9 Sidewinder. An air-to-air missile ( AAM) is a guided Missile fired from an Aircraft for the purpose of destroying another aircraft The Sri Lanka Air Force ( SLAF) is the aerial defence division and the youngest of the Sri Lankan Tri Forces. The term drop tank (or belly tank) is used to describe auxiliary fuel tanks in both aeronautics and spaceflight [5][10]
The Sri Lankan Ambassador to New Delhi was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs at 1500 Hours, where the message was conveyed by Minister of External Affairs Natwar Singh that Indian Air Force would be flying a mission at 1600 Hours to drop supplies over Jaffna. An ambassador is the highest ranking Diplomat who represents their country New Delhi (नई दिल्ली ਨਵੀਂ ਦਿੱਲੀ نئی دلی is the Capital city of India. Kunwar Natwar Singh, popularly known as K Natwar Singh (born May 16, 1931, Jaghina Bharatpur, Rajastan, India) is The ambassador was told that the aircraft were expected to complete their mission unhindered and any opposition by the Sri Lankan Air Force 'would be met by force' by the escorting Mirage 2000s. [10]
The first of the flights left Bangalore at 15:55 hours and flew towards the Coramandel coast, where they were met with four Mirage escorts. One Mirage stayed back acting as radio relay, along with two additional An-32s over Tamil Nadu, which acted as radio relay to Bangalore. Tamil Nadu ( Tamil:, Country of the Tamils, t̪ɐmɨɻ n̪aːɽɯ is one of the 28 states of India.
The flight leader attempted radio contact with Colombo ATC over the civilian air traffic radio channel at 16:47 hours, but was unable to establish contact. Colombo ( Sinhala:, ˈkoləmbə Tamil: கொழும்பு is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. Air traffic control ( ATC) is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct Aircraft on the ground and in the air The mission approached Jaffna peninsula at about 16:50 hours and sighted Jaffna Town itself at 17:00 hours. The aircraft descended from 12000 feet to about 1500 feet and carried out the drop at the drop zone about 7km from the town of Jaffna. The aircraft then turned in a western direction, flying over Palay airbase before turning north, heading for the Indian coast.
The mission arrived back over Bangalore at 18:13 hours, where they were greeted with much jubilation.
Aftermath
- See also: IPKF, Operation Pawan, and Jaffna University Helidrop
In the wake of Operation Poomalai, Sri Lanka accused India of violating its sovereignty. Indian Peace Keeping Force ( IPKF; Hindi: भारतीय शान्ति सेना was the Indian military contingent performing a Peacekeeping 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 Jaffna University Helidrop was the first of the operations launched by the Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF aimed at disarming the Tamil Tigers (LTTE by force [11][5]However, India defended its actions as a mercy mission in aid of what were termed as the deteriorating conditions of the civilian population, refusing at the time to rule out further missions. [5] Within India, the actions were endorsed across the political diaspora[12] In India, it was seen at the time as an act of support against the beleaguered and besieged Tamil population of the north - an opinion that was destined to undergo a drastic reversal after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi by the LTTE in 1991. Rajiv Gandhi राजीव गांधी (raːdʒiːv gaːnd̪ʰiː born in Bombay, (20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991 the elder son of Indira and Feroze At that time, Colombo deemed it as a blatant show of support for the Tamil Tigers. The total supply air dropped by India during the operation amounted to little over 25 tons, and this was clearly not sufficient to sustain a besieged city.
Faced with the possibility of an active Indian intervention, the President, J. R. Jayewardene, offered to hold talks with the Rajiv Gandhi government on future moves. Junius Richard Jayewardene ( September 17 1906 &ndash November 1 1996) famously abbreviated in Sri Lanka as JR, was the Rajiv Gandhi राजीव गांधी (raːdʒiːv gaːnd̪ʰiː born in Bombay, (20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991 the elder son of Indira and Feroze [5] The siege of Jaffna was soon lifted, followed by a round of negotiations that led to the signing of the Indo-Sri-Lankan accord on July 29, 1987[13] that brought a temporary truce. Sri Lankan Civil War See also Sri Lankan Civil War Sri Lanka, from the early part of the 1980s was facing an increasingly violent ethnic strife The terms of the truce specified that the Sri Lankan troops withdraw from the north and the Tamil rebels disarm,[14] and saw the induction of the IPKF as a peace keeping force in Sri Lanka. Indian Peace Keeping Force ( IPKF; Hindi: भारतीय शान्ति सेना was the Indian military contingent performing a Peacekeeping Peacekeeping, as defined by the United Nations, is "a way to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for sustainable peace
See also
References
- ^ Sri Lanka in 1987: Indian Intervention and Resurgence of the JVP. The Indian Air Force (Devanāgarī भारतीय वायु सेना IAST Bhartiya Vāyu Senā is the air arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the No 7 Squadron Indian Air Force ( Battle Axes) operates as a CAS and Air superiority unit The Sri Lankan Civil War is an Ongoing conflict on the Island -nation of Sri Lanka. Indian Peace Keeping Force ( IPKF; Hindi: भारतीय शान्ति सेना was the Indian military contingent performing a Peacekeeping "LTTE" redirects here For the Led Zeppelin bootleg see Listen to This Eddie. The Jaffna University Helidrop was the first of the operations launched by the Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF aimed at disarming the Tamil Tigers (LTTE by force Pfaffenberger B. Asian Survey, Vol. 28, No. 2, A Survey of Asia in 1987: Part II. (Feb. , 1988), pp. 139
- ^ a b India Enters; The Airdrop and the L.T.T.E.'s Dilemma.
- ^ Growth of Sri Lankan Tamil Militancy in Tamil Nadu.Chapter I - Phase II (1987-1988). Jain Commission Interim Report
- ^ a b Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), World Tamil Association (WTA), World Tamil Movement (WTM), Federation of Associations of Canadian Tamils (FACT), Ellalan Force. GlobalSecurity.org
- ^ a b c d e India Airlifts Aid to Tamil Rebels", The New York Times. 5 June 1987
- ^ a b "Operation Poomalai - India Intervenes" Bharat-rakshak.com
- ^ Research and Analysis Wing. Fas.org
- ^ "Indians To Send convoy to Sri Lanka", The New York Times. 2 June 1987
- ^ "Indian Flotilla is turned back by Sri Lankan Naval Vessels", The New York Times. 4 June 1987
- ^ a b c "Indian Air Force in Sri Lanka.Operation Poomalai - The Jaffna Food drop." Bharat-rakshak.com
- ^ "IAF drops relief supplies over Jaffna". The Hindu, 5 June 1987. The Hindu is a single-edition English-language Indian newspaper
- ^ Gandhi Opponents Back Move. The New York Times 5th June 1987
- ^ Background Note: Sri Lanka. U.S Dept. of State
- ^ New Delhi & the Tamil Struggle. The Indo Sri Lanka Agreement. Satyendra N. Tamil Nation
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