Battle of Thoppigala

The Battle of Thoppigala was a battle between the Sri Lanka Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fought during a period of the first half of 2007 over control of the LTTE-dominated peak of Thoppigala (also known as Baron's Cap), located 40 km northwest of Batticaloa, in eastern Sri Lanka.

Background

Thoppigala, also known as Baron's Cap and Kudumbimalai, is a large rock standing at 1,753 feet (534 m) above sea level. The rock is surrounded by thick jungle and rocky terrain, and has a number of natural caves. When the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) was active in the country during the period of 1987–1990, they had carried out operations in the Thoppigala area to find LTTE cadres hiding there. However, General A.S. Kalkat, the then commander of the IPKF, later said that they had made no attempt to capture the area since it had been of no military significance to them.

During 1993, the Sri Lankan military conducted operations in the East to evict the LTTE from the region. Military bases were established in and around Thoppigala during these operations.