Major General Prasanna Silva Comments On The Role Played By SLAF In The Victories Of 55 Division

2010-01-21 09:14:25

Excerpt taken from an article published on the ‘Island’ news paper by Shamindra Ferdinando(21 January 2010)

Participating in a Sinhala language political programme aired over Rupavahini, the former Special Forces Commander paid a glowing tribute to the Sri Lanka Air Force for throwing its weight behind the army. Commenting on operations carried out by the 55 Division under his command, Silva said that the SLAF jets and helicopter gunships had made their task easier.

The SLAF had facilitated the evacuation of the wounded, a challenging task, particularly when the infantry crossed a lagoon under fire, he said. Despite severe constraints, the SLAF had played a remarkable role, he said emphasising he had never seen the SLAF going all out during previous engagements. SLAF personnel had engaged in evacuation operations even risking their own lives, he said.

Silva said that the deployment of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) on surveillance missions had provided real time battle ground pictures to him, thereby helping him with decision making.

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