Battle of Kilinochchi (2008–2009) 2008
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 23 November 2008 – 2 January 2009 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 2008 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | Post-1945 (1946 onwards) | derived from year |
| Location | Sri Lanka | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Asia | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Sri Lankan civil war | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 9.3833, 80.4000 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Kilinochchi was a land battle fought between the Sri Lankan Military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for control of the town of Kilinochchi in the Northern Theatre of Eelam War IV during the Sri Lankan civil war between November 2008 and January 2009. The town of Kilinochchi was the administrative center and de facto capital of the LTTE's proposed state of Tamil Eelam.
The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) conducted an offensive through November and December 2008, during which three attempts were made to capture the town during December. These were thwarted by the LTTE, and both sides claimed that they suffered minimal casualties while inflicting maximum damage on the other during these assaults. The Sri Lanka Air Force launched air strikes against LTTE positions in Kilinochchi throughout this period. On 2 January 2009m divisions of the Sri Lanka Army advanced into Kilinochchi from the northern, southern and western directions of the town, and the LTTE fighters withdrew into positions in nearby jungles. Mahinda Rajapaksa, the president of Sri Lanka, later announced that the military had taken control of the town and urged the LTTE to lay down arms and surrender.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Kilinochchi (2008–2009) (revision 1370445354), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Kilinochchi (1998) 1998 · 0 km
- Second Battle of Elephant Pass 2000 · 18 km
- Battle of Aanandapuram 2009 · 37 km
- Battle of Kanakarayankulam (1997) 1997 · 39 km
- Battle of Mullaitivu (1996) 1996 · 48 km
- Battle of Nelliady 1987 · 51 km
Other battles of the Sri Lankan civil war
- Battle of Kanakarayankulam (1997) 1997
- Battle of Kilinochchi (1998) 1998
- Second Battle of Elephant Pass 2000
- Battle of Aanandapuram 2009
All 5 battles of the Sri Lankan civil war →
Browse more: battles in Sri Lanka · Asia · Post-1945 battles