Indian Peace Keeping Force: Difference between revisions

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Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), was the Indian military contingent performing a peacekeeping operation that was formed to oversee the peace accord signed between India and Sri Lanka in 1987, trying to solve the ethnic conflict between Tamils and Sinhalese in Sri Lanka.

File:India ipfk.jpg

IPKF distributing food in Jaffna

The mandate of the IPKF was to keep the peace between the main Tamil rebel group LTTE and the Sri Lankan armed forces. From the start, the LTTE did not trust the IPKF fully and the Sri Lankan forces and the JVP loathed the foreign presence on their soil.

The IPKF was drawn into conflict with the LTTE in late 1987, and in fighting that took about three weeks, the IPKF liberated the Jaffna Peninsula from LTTE rule, a feat that the Sri Lankan army was struggling for several years. But this came at a price, as it lost over 200 soldiers.

The subsequent years saw several operations being carried out and more casualities being suffered. They were forced to leave 31 March 1990, because of a specific request by the Sri Lankan President Premadasa, who had turned full circle and made a pact with the rebel Tamil Group LTTE. He specifically requested the IPKF to leave and India had no choice other than to withdraw its troops. As a result, relations between India and Sri Lanka became extremely sour and India vowed never to offer any military help to Sri Lanka again. This policy was not changed when Sri Lanka urgently requested its help later in Chandrika Kumaratunga's regime to ward of the LTTE terrorists from approaching Jaffna. India has since softened and agreed to sign a defence pact with Sri Lanka.

The IPKF suffered 1,166 killed in action and several thousands in wounded. Its role in the Sri Lankan conflict was much maligned, and it was a forgotten force. It was ironic that after several years, the Sri Lankan Armed Forces realised the role of IPKF and proposed building a memorial to the Indian Dead in Sri Lanka.

References

Dixit, J. N. (2003) Assignment Colombo. Vijitha Yapa Publications, Colombo, ISBN 955-8095-34-6
Balasingham, Adele. (2003) The Will to Freedom - An Inside View of Tamil Resistance. Fairmax Publishing Ltd, 2nd ed. ISBN 1-903679-036
Narayan Swamy, M. R. (2002) Tigers of Lanka: from Boys to Guerrillas. Konark Publishers; 3rd ed. ISBN 8122006310

External link

The Indian Army in Sri Lanka 1987-1990
Indian Jawan- A Tribute To The Indian Soldier
Overview of Mission
Case Study in Operations Other Than War

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 The mandate of the IPKF was to keep the peace between the main Tamil rebel group [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam|LTTE]] and the Sri Lankan armed forces. From the start, the LTTE did not trust the IPKF fully and the Sri Lankan forces and the [[Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna|JVP]] loathed the foreign presence on their soil.
-The IPKF was drawn into conflict with the LTTE in late 1987, and in fighting that took about three weeks, the IPKF liberated the [[Jaffna]] Peninsula from LTTE rule. A feat that the Sri Lankan army was struggling for several years. But this came at a price, as it lost over 200 soldiers.
+The IPKF was drawn into conflict with the LTTE in late 1987, and in fighting that took about three weeks, the IPKF liberated the [[Jaffna]] Peninsula from LTTE rule, a feat that the Sri Lankan army was struggling for several years. But this came at a price, as it lost over 200 soldiers.
 The subsequent years saw several operations being carried out and more casualities being suffered. They were forced to leave 31 March 1990, because of a specific request by the Sri Lankan President [[Ranasinghe Premadasa|Premadasa]], who had turned full circle and made a pact with the rebel Tamil Group LTTE. He specifically requested the IPKF to leave and India had no choice other than to withdraw its troops. As a result, relations between India and Sri Lanka became extremely sour and India vowed never to offer any military help to Sri Lanka again. This policy was not changed when Sri Lanka urgently requested its help later in [[Chandrika Kumaratunga]]'s regime to ward of the LTTE terrorists from approaching Jaffna. India has since softened and agreed to sign a defence pact with Sri Lanka.