Flying Tigers send stark message

The Liberation Tigers’ bombing raid on the main Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) airbase at Katunayake last Monday has signalled what one security analyst has termed a new phase in the island’s protracted conflict. Other commentators, on the other hand, have questioned the efficacy of the Tamileelam Air Force (TAF). They point to the limited firepower of a handful of light aircraft in comparison to SLAF’s fleet of powerful jet fighter-bombers. Some have argued this has been further reduced by the loss of the element of surprise. But this analysis not only misconstrues the specific capabilities the...

The road to war was signposted

Sri Lanka’s ongoing offensive has been prepared openly over two years.

Claymores and compellence

The unprecedented violence in Sri Lanka’s Northeast is forcing the government of President Mahinda Rajapakse to abandon its hardline stances on the peace process.

A change in tack

The attacks in Jaffna mark a new approach to the ongoing shadow war – and send an unmistakable message to Colombo.

‘Dual use’ targets and double standards

The doctrine of the US military and its allies accepts the necessity in war of destroying economic targets, particularly those with ‘dual-uses’