October 11 in History
1987 – Start of Operation Pawan by Indian forces in Sri Lanka that saw thousands of civilians, insurgents and soldiers losing their lives
Operation Pawan (Operation Wind) was the code name assigned to the operation by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) that got underway on this day in 1987 to take control of Jaffna from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The operation was aimed at enforcing the disarmament of the LTTE as a part of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord.
In brutal fighting lasting about three weeks, the IPKF took control of the Jaffna Peninsula from the LTTE, something that the Sri Lankan Army had tried but failed to do. Supported by Indian Army tanks, helicopter gunships and heavy artillery, the IPKF routed the LTTE but at a high cost, with nearly 1200 troops killed and over 3,500 injured.
-ENCL
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