The authorities believe that a group of about 20 suicide Black Tiger cadre entered the Sri Lankan Airforce base adjoining the civilian airport. The 700 acre base lies on the northern side of the airport. The vast area with shrub and coconut palms provided ideal cover for a night raid by the Black Tigers, who cut through the perimeter fences on the western side of the base, east of the Colombo-Negombo road.
They first attacked and destroyed a M17 transport helicopter, a M24 helicopter gunship, an Ukrainian MIG 27, three K8 training aircraft and two Israeli-built Kfir jets. Another ten military aircraft were damaged. Reports say that a munitions store and fuel tanks were also blown up. Eight guerrillas were killed in the fighting with the Airforce.
Meanwhile, six Tigers crossed the runway and entered the civilian airport firing at SriLankan Airlines planes. Passengers fled west towards the Colombo-Negombo main road. Army commando reinforcements arrived and fighting continued as two LTTE cadre climbed on to the roof of the terminal building. Two of the Tigers committed suicide by exploding bombs and the others were killed by the commandos. By then they had destroyed three new planes and damaged another three, half of the SriLankan Airlines fleet. In total 14 Black Tigers and seven military personnel were killed. The security forces believe that other Tigers escaped. There were no civilian casualties.
The authorities closed the airport immediately, diverting flights to Madras in India and the Maldives and imposed a curfew in the surrounding five police districts, including Minuwangoda and Negombo. By late afternoon on 24 July, the Airforce launched retaliatory strikes in the north-east. The curfew was lifted at mid-day on 24 July and the airport was re-opened the following day to take thousands of tourists stranded in the island.
The airport incursion is an added problem for Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunge, who is currently embroiled in a political struggle with the opposition parties. She condemned the LTTE for the attack and ordered an enquiry by the police Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Airforce Commander Air Marshall Jayalath Weerakkody has indicated that in addition to the CID enquiry and an internal probe, he would be asking the Defence Ministry to conduct an independent investigation. Reports say that the commander of the Katunayake Airforce base and a security officer have been suspended. The Directorate of Internal Intelligence (DII), responsible for security intelligence within Sri Lanka, has come under severe criticism.
The guerrillas had managed to penetrate the heavily guarded airport with weapons such as machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and anti-tank weapons. The CID are suspicious that the LTTE may have had inside help in the operation. Three Sinhalese Airforce personnel were taken into custody in late July. Former Airforce Commander Harry Gunatilleke says that an electronic fence around the hangers in the airbase was dismantled two years ago. Tamil employees in the area are under suspicion and nineteen Tamil civilians were taken into custody in the vicinity of the airport, under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Search operations in the area and in Colombo continued in late July and early August. Many Tamils were detained.
Several foreign governments have condemned the attack. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan expressed his dismay and called on all parties to make every effort to initiate and sustain a viable peace process. Press reports say that India did not condemn the attack but urged the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE to resume peace negotiations. In June, India and the US had warned the government not to bomb Jaffna and provoke the LTTE.
The Sri Lankan Airforce had launched a three-day bombing campaign in Jaffna on 30 June. Foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar claimed that a pre-emptive strike in self defence was necessary to thwart an imminent LTTE offensive to re-take Jaffna. At the time, the LTTE said that the government must bear the responsibility for the ‘adverse consequences that may arise from misplaced strategy of escalating the conditions of war in the Tamil Homeland’. The Tigers also warned that the Norwegian peace process will be irreparably damaged.
Some observers say that the Katunayake assault is a prelude to an LTTE operation to recapture the Jaffna peninsula. Currently the Tigers are in control of around 115 sq.mile territory in the south-east of the peninsula, including the strategic Elephant Pass military base. The Airforce has played a prominent role in supporting ground troops. According to experts, the Airforce lost only around 20% of its capacity in the attack on the airport. Observers believe that the LTTE would seek to weaken the Airforce further in the days to come.