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with hundreds of fighters and surrounded the army's fortifications. The defending troops were shocked by the sight of a hitherto unknown bulldozer covered with armoured plates that looked like a huge tank. It was equipped with a machine gun on top of it and contained a large supply of arms and ammunition inside.
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stationed at the base were trapped, yet led by Maj. (later Maj. Gen.) Sanath
Karunaratne they fought on. The assault came from the south. On the first day, the LTTE captured a few bunkers held by Sri Lankan troops. During the attack, the LTTE used steel-plated earth-moving vehicles and tractors. They
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The troops finally reached the
Elephant Pass base on the evening of August 3. Fighting continued until August 9, when the LTTE began to retreat. They suffered 950 fighters killed, according to Sri lankan military.The army gave the number of its soldiers killed at 156 killed and 748 wounded, but LTTE
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Fierce fighting continued for four days before reinforcements were able to be sent. A force of 10,000 troops was dispatched to the defenders' aid. An amphibious landing was conducted at
Vettilaikerni, just 12 kilometres east of the base. However, much resistance was encountered from the Tigers, and
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Helicopters were not able to land at the base because of heavy fire. Eventually, the Rest House camp in the southern sector of the base fell into the hands of the LTTE. Sustaining heavy losses, the Sri Lankan troops fell back to the rearward positions. As dusk fell the LTTE launched several attacks
669:. The LTTE had previously surrounded the base and blocked off routes north and south so no reinforcements could come in. Also, at the beginning of July, the LTTE moved anti-aircraft guns close to the base so no helicopters could bring in supplies. Thus the 800 troops of the 6th Battalion of the
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On July 10, 1991, the LTTE launched a massive attack at
Elephant Pass. The battle was, up until that time, the most violent and bloody confrontation that ever took place between the LTTE and the
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claimed that more than 400 died. Estimates in later years put the number of dead on both sides at about 2,000. The president called the fight the "Mother of All
Battles". However,
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fired hundreds of mortar rounds on the positions of the Sri Lankan forces. The next day the second-in-command of the base was killed in a mortar attack.
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of
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam used in the battle. Today, it is one of the Sri Lankan Civil War memorials.
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years later the base was attacked again, and that time the Tigers overran and took it. It was another
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it took the relief force 18 days to reach the
Elephant Pass base.
904:. Ministry Of Defence Democratic Socialist Republic Of Sri Lanka
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Humanitarian
Operation Factual Analysis July 2006 – May 2009
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Attacks on government buildings and structures in Sri Lanka
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987:Attacks on military installations in the 2000s
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48:introducing citations to additional sources
992:Attacks on buildings and structures in 1991
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38:Relevant discussion may be found on the
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753:List of Sri Lankan Civil War battles
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231:156 killed, 748 wounded (SL claim)
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655:Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
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31:relies largely or entirely on a
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807:"First Battle of Elephant Pass"
783:needs additional citations for
59:"First Battle of Elephant Pass"
743:Second Battle of Elephant Pass
416:Bombings and terrorist attacks
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748:Third Battle of Elephant Pass
731:Third Battle of Elephant Pass
639:First Battle of Elephant Pass
114:First Battle of Elephant Pass
729:took the base back, in the (
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982:August 1991 events in Asia
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149:July 10 – August 9, 1991
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173:Sri Lankan Army victory
616:Dehiwala train bombing
421:Other military attacks
411:Battles and operations
938:9.54726°N 80.408936°E
641:(Codenamed Operation
502:Massacre of policemen
224:Casualties and losses
193:Military of Sri Lanka
792:improve this article
688:Operation Balavegaya
682:Operation Balavegaya
611:Central Bank bombing
556:Kent and Dollar Farm
512:Air Lanka Flight 512
507:1991 Kokkadichcholai
368:Sri Lankan Civil War
121:Sri Lankan civil war
44:improve this article
934: /
391:Indian intervention
133:Improvised armored
943:9.54726; 80.408936
621:1989 Valvettiturai
581:Lionair Flight 602
522:Aluth Oya massacre
492:Eastern University
472:1985 Valvettiturai
972:1991 in Sri Lanka
967:Conflicts in 1991
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906:. Retrieved
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848:October 2014
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790:Please help
785:verification
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591:October 1995
561:Anuradhapura
482:Akkaraipattu
449:Sooriyakanda
406:Eelam War IV
396:Eelam War II
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272:Eelam War II
182:Belligerents
119:Part of the
100:October 2017
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941: /
908:9 September
566:Aranthalawa
428:Mass graves
386:Eelam War I
380:Main topics
956:Categories
929:80°24′32″E
882:Asia Times
818:newspapers
764:References
536:Allaipiddy
532:Nagerkovil
487:Prawn farm
462:Black July
319:Janakapura
304:Balavegaya
289:Sea Breeze
234:602 killed
70:newspapers
926:9°32′50″N
586:Kallarawa
456:Massacres
444:Mirusuvil
439:Duraiappa
163:Sri Lanka
135:bulldozer
40:talk page
737:See also
653:and the
596:Gonagala
541:Vankalai
477:Kumudini
434:Chemmani
324:Pooneryn
309:Sathbala
211:Strength
154:Location
832:scholar
720:⁄
706:⁄
284:Kokavil
84:scholar
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661:Battle
551:Muttur
527:Navaly
170:Result
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902:(PDF)
839:JSTOR
825:books
219:5,000
91:JSTOR
77:books
910:2021
811:news
637:The
146:Date
63:news
794:by
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