Operation Combine - Revision history

DessiePelloe5: minor enhanced content based on references also and improved wording

2026-01-22T02:17:54Z

minor enhanced content based on references also and improved wording

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:47, 22 January 2026
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			{{short description\|Operation launched by the Sri Lankan army in order to kill rebel leaders}}
			{{onesource\|date=January 2026}}
	{{More citations needed\|date=September 2019}}		{{More citations needed\|date=September 2019}}
	~~{{short description\|Operation launched by the Sri Lankan army in order to kill rebel leaders}}~~
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=September 2020}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=September 2020}}
	{{Infobox military conflict		{{Infobox military conflict
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	\| territory =		\| territory =
	\| result = [[Government of Sri Lanka\|Sri Lankan Government]] captures and executes major rebel leaders		\| result = [[Government of Sri Lanka\|Sri Lankan Government]] captures and executes major rebel leaders
	\| combatant1 = {{Flagicon\|Sri Lanka}} '''[[Sri Lanka]]''' ~~<br>~~		\| combatant1 = {{Flagicon\|Sri Lanka}} '''[[Sri Lanka]]'''
	\| combatant2 = {{flagicon image\|Hammer and Sickle Red Star with Glow.~~png~~}} '''[[Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna\|JVP]]''' ~~<br>~~		\| combatant2 = {{flagicon image\|Hammer and Sickle Red Star with Glow.svg\|border=no border}} '''[[Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna\|JVP]]'''
	\| commander1 = {{flagicon\|Sri Lanka}} [[File:~~Coat_of_arms_of_Sri_Lanka~~.svg\|14px]] [[Ranjan Wijeratne]]		\| commander1 = {{flagicon\|Sri Lanka}} [[File:Coat of arms of Sri Lanka.svg\|14px]] [[Ranjan Wijeratne]]
	\| commander2 = {{flagicon image\|Hammer and Sickle Red Star with Glow.~~png~~}} '''[[Rohana Wijeweera]]''' {{Executed}}<br> {{flagicon image\|Hammer and Sickle Red Star with Glow.~~png~~}} [[Saman Piyasiri Fernando]] {{Executed}} <br>{{flagicon image\|Hammer and Sickle Red Star with Glow.~~png~~}} [[Upatissa Gamanayake]] {{Executed}}		\| commander2 = {{flagicon image\|Hammer and Sickle Red Star with Glow.svg\|border=no border}} '''[[Rohana Wijeweera]]''' {{Executed}}<br> {{flagicon image\|Hammer and Sickle Red Star with Glow.svg\|border=no border}} [[Saman Piyasiri Fernando]] {{Executed}} <br>{{flagicon image\|Hammer and Sickle Red Star with Glow.svg\|border=no border}} [[Upatissa Gamanayake]] {{Executed}}
	\| strength1 =		\| strength1 =
	\| strength2 =		\| strength2 =
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	Under orders from the newly elected President [[Ranasinghe Premadasa]], Operation Combine was established by Lieutenant Colonel [[Ranjan Wijeratne]], [[Minister of Defence (Sri Lanka)\|State Minister of Defence]] on 4 August 1989 at the height of the [[1987–89 JVP Insurrection]] in the south of Sri Lanka. The [[Special Task Force (Sri Lanka)\|Special Task Force]] was headed by Major General [[Cecil Waidyaratne]], [[Chief of Staff of the Army (Sri Lanka)\|Army Chief of Staff]] with [[Brigadier]] [[Lakshman Algama]] serving as his deputy and established its [[headquarters]] at [[Havelock Town]]. The [[Special Task Force (Sri Lanka)\|Special Task Force]] carried out intelligence gathering and direct action operations against the JVP, targeting its leadership. It was successful in tracking down and eliminating much of the JVP leadership which culminated with the capture and death of its leader [[Rohana Wijeweera]] on 12 November 1989.<ref name="island1"/>		Under orders from the newly elected President [[Ranasinghe Premadasa]], Operation Combine was established by Lieutenant Colonel [[Ranjan Wijeratne]], [[Minister of Defence (Sri Lanka)\|State Minister of Defence]] on 4 August 1989 at the height of the [[1987–89 JVP Insurrection]] in the south of Sri Lanka. The [[Special Task Force (Sri Lanka)\|Special Task Force]] was headed by Major General [[Cecil Waidyaratne]], [[Chief of Staff of the Army (Sri Lanka)\|Army Chief of Staff]] with [[Brigadier]] [[Lakshman Algama]] serving as his deputy and established its [[headquarters]] at [[Havelock Town]]. The [[Special Task Force (Sri Lanka)\|Special Task Force]] carried out intelligence gathering and direct action operations against the JVP, targeting its leadership. It was successful in tracking down and eliminating much of the JVP leadership which culminated with the capture and death of its leader [[Rohana Wijeweera]] on 12 November 1989.<ref name="island1"/>

	On December ~~27,~~ 1989, a special police team, led by SSP Lionel Gunathilake, arrested [[Saman Piyasiri Fernando]] along with his mother and ~~fiance~~; who was a sister of JVP politburo member Daya Wanniarachchi, at Koswatte, Nawala, at a rented house owned by Mark Antony Fernando, who works at SLBC. According to the police sources, the number of military books found inside the house and some of them are not found in Sri Lankan military libraries. ~~Lalilth Wijeyrathna~~, Upali Jayaweera, Ranjitham Gunaratnam, Gamini Wijegunasekara and Shantha Bandara tried to regroup. However, the government forces managed to capture them and subsequently killed them on December 1989. The leadership of the JVP was transferred to Lalith Wijerathna. It is believed that Wijerathna was captured in Colombo by a special police team from Kandy either late December 1989 or early January 1990. At a later date in January he was allegedly executed by his captors in Kandy in the last days of ~~the operation~~ Combine.<ref name="island1"/>		On 27 December 1989, a special police team, led by SSP Lionel Gunathilake, arrested [[Saman Piyasiri Fernando]] along with his mother and fiancé; who was a sister of JVP politburo member Daya Wanniarachchi, at Koswatte, Nawala, at a rented house owned by Mark Antony Fernando, who works at SLBC. According to the police sources, the number of military books found inside the house and some of them are not found in Sri Lankan military libraries. [[Lalith Wijerathna]], Upali Jayaweera, Ranjitham Gunaratnam, Gamini Wijegunasekara and [[Shantha Bandara]] tried to regroup. However, the government forces managed to capture them and subsequently killed them in December 1989. The leadership of the JVP was transferred to [[Lalith Wijerathna]]. It is believed that Wijerathna was captured in Colombo by a special police team from Kandy either late December 1989 or early January 1990. At a later date in January he was allegedly executed by his captors in Kandy in the last days of Operation Combine.<ref name="island1"/>

	==End of the operation==		==End of the operation==

	The Sri Lankan government media released on December ~~29,~~ 1989, as "the leader of the JVP military wing killed along with four other cadres due to the cross fire between security forces and the JVP at their military wing headquarters, a farm located at Hedigama-Suwarapola, Piliyandala". Following the death of Wijeweera and other key leaders, the JVP insurrection collapsed and Operation Combine was terminated in February 1990 by Ranjan Wijeratne.<ref name="island1"/>		The Sri Lankan government media released on 29 December 1989, as "the leader of the JVP military wing killed along with four other cadres due to the cross fire between security forces and the JVP at their military wing headquarters, a farm located at Hedigama-Suwarapola, Piliyandala". Following the death of Wijeweera and other key leaders, the JVP insurrection collapsed and Operation Combine was terminated in February 1990 by Ranjan Wijeratne.<ref name="island1"/>

	==Notable members==		==Notable members==
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	[[Category:Military units and formations of the Sri Lanka Army]]		[[Category:Military units and formations of the Sri Lanka Army]]
	[[Category:1987–1989 JVP insurrection]]		[[Category:1987–1989 JVP insurrection]]
	[[Category:Battles and ~~Operations~~ of the ~~Second~~ JVP insurrection]]		[[Category:Battles and operations of the 1987–1989 JVP insurrection]]
	[[Category:Sri Lankan intelligence operations]]		[[Category:Sri Lankan intelligence operations]]
	[[Category:~~Counterterrorism~~]]		[[Category:Counterterrorist operations]]
	[[Category:Anti-communism]]		[[Category:Anti-communism]]
	[[Category:United National Party]]		[[Category:United National Party]]
	[[Category:Military history of Sri Lanka]]		[[Category:Military history of Sri Lanka]]

Bot at 11:18, 20 June 2022

2022-06-20T11:18:51Z

New page

{{More citations needed|date=September 2019}}
{{short description|Operation launched by the Sri Lankan army in order to kill rebel leaders}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Counterinsurgency during the second JVP insurrection
| partof = [[1987-1989 JVP insurrection]]
| date = 1989-1990
| place = [[Sri Lanka]]
| image =
| caption = [[Sri Lankan Armed Forces]] deployed to capture rebel leaders
| territory =
| result = [[Government of Sri Lanka|Sri Lankan Government]] captures and executes major rebel leaders
| combatant1 = {{Flagicon|Sri Lanka}} '''[[Sri Lanka]]''' <br>
| combatant2 = {{flagicon image|Hammer and Sickle Red Star with Glow.png}} '''[[Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna|JVP]]''' <br>
| commander1 = {{flagicon|Sri Lanka}} [[File:Coat_of_arms_of_Sri_Lanka.svg|14px]] [[Ranjan Wijeratne]]
| commander2 = {{flagicon image|Hammer and Sickle Red Star with Glow.png}} '''[[Rohana Wijeweera]]''' {{Executed}}<br> {{flagicon image|Hammer and Sickle Red Star with Glow.png}} [[Saman Piyasiri Fernando]] {{Executed}} <br>{{flagicon image|Hammer and Sickle Red Star with Glow.png}} [[Upatissa Gamanayake]] {{Executed}}
| strength1 =
| strength2 =
}}
{{Infobox military unit
|commander5 = [[Ranjan Wijeratne]]
|commander5_label= Founder
|commander3 = [[Janaka Perera]]
|allegiance = [[Sri Lanka Armed Forces]]
|role= Ground warfare
}}

'''Operation Combine''' (''' Ops Combine''') was a special operation established by the [[Sri Lanka Army]] from 4 August 1989 to February 1990 as [[counterinsurgency]] operation with support of the [[Sri Lanka Police]] against the [[Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna]] (JVP) which had launched a its [[1987–89 JVP Insurrection|second insurgency]] in 1987.<ref name="island1">{{cite news |last1=Ferdinando |first1=Shamindra |title=President fails to capitalize on victory over JVP War on terror revisited |url=http://island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=74944 | date=17 March 2013 | accessdate=30 June 2020 |newspaper=The Island|location=Sri Lanka}}</ref>

==Background==
{{main|1987-1989 JVP insurgency}}
By the late 80s the Sri Lankan Government was at conflict with various Tamil and Sinhalese militant groups. The Tamil militants were active in the North-Eastern province and the Sinhalese militants were active in the South-Western province. The [[Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna]] was the most significant threat to the government as of 1989 due to their attempts to topple the government.

The JVP in 1987 [[1987 grenade attack in the Sri Lankan Parliament|bombed the Sri Lankan parliament]] as an attempt to topple the government. By the 1988 the insurgency came to peak and everyday, over 50 bodies were discovered on the streets.

==Operation==
Under orders from the newly elected President [[Ranasinghe Premadasa]], Operation Combine was established by Lieutenant Colonel [[Ranjan Wijeratne]], [[Minister of Defence (Sri Lanka)|State Minister of Defence]] on 4 August 1989 at the height of the [[1987–89 JVP Insurrection]] in the south of Sri Lanka. The [[Special Task Force (Sri Lanka)|Special Task Force]] was headed by Major General [[Cecil Waidyaratne]], [[Chief of Staff of the Army (Sri Lanka)|Army Chief of Staff]] with [[Brigadier]] [[Lakshman Algama]] serving as his deputy and established its [[headquarters]] at [[Havelock Town]]. The [[Special Task Force (Sri Lanka)|Special Task Force]] carried out intelligence gathering and direct action operations against the JVP, targeting its leadership. It was successful in tracking down and eliminating much of the JVP leadership which culminated with the capture and death of its leader [[Rohana Wijeweera]] on 12 November 1989.<ref name="island1"/>

On December 27, 1989, a special police team, led by SSP Lionel Gunathilake, arrested [[Saman Piyasiri Fernando]] along with his mother and fiance; who was a sister of JVP politburo member Daya Wanniarachchi, at Koswatte, Nawala, at a rented house owned by Mark Antony Fernando, who works at SLBC. According to the police sources, the number of military books found inside the house and some of them are not found in Sri Lankan military libraries. Lalilth Wijeyrathna, Upali Jayaweera, Ranjitham Gunaratnam, Gamini Wijegunasekara and Shantha Bandara tried to regroup. However, the government forces managed to capture them and subsequently killed them on December 1989. The leadership of the JVP was transferred to Lalith Wijerathna. It is believed that Wijerathna was captured in Colombo by a special police team from Kandy either late December 1989 or early January 1990. At a later date in January he was allegedly executed by his captors in Kandy in the last days of the operation Combine.<ref name="island1"/>

==End of the operation==

The Sri Lankan government media released on December 29, 1989, as "the leader of the JVP military wing killed along with four other cadres due to the cross fire between security forces and the JVP at their military wing headquarters, a farm located at Hedigama-Suwarapola, Piliyandala". Following the death of Wijeweera and other key leaders, the JVP insurrection collapsed and Operation Combine was terminated in February 1990 by Ranjan Wijeratne.<ref name="island1"/>

==Notable members==
*[[Member of Parliament|MP]] [[Ranjan Wijeratne]] - Minister of defense, Sri Lanka
*[[Colonel]] [[Janaka Perera]] - Special operations, Operation Combine
*[[Major General]] [[Cecil Waidyaratne]]
*[[Brigadier]] [[Lakshman Algama]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{coord missing|Sri Lanka}}

[[Category:Military units and formations of the Sri Lanka Army]]
[[Category:1987–1989 JVP insurrection]]
[[Category:Battles and Operations of the Second JVP insurrection]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan intelligence operations]]
[[Category:Counterterrorism]]
[[Category:Anti-communism]]
[[Category:United National Party]]
[[Category:Military history of Sri Lanka]]