25th October 2018 15:05:12 Hours
Traversing a record distance of 680 km, covering a large territory in the North, North Central and a part of the Eastern province, the Field Training Exercise (FTX), ‘Harmattan - 2’, organized by the Army as a preparatory mission orientation to match with UN guidelines, prior to the UN peace-keeping assignment shortly in Mali, drew to a successful completion this morning (25) at 55 Division Battalion Training School in Chundikulam, Jaffna.
The convoy of about 60 vehicles, together with 400 troops which started from Chundikulam on Thursday (18) under the command of Brigadier Jayantha Gunaratne, Exercise Director, ‘Harmattan - 2’ covered the general areas of Manalkadu, Pooneryn, Veditalativu, Mannar, Oyamaduwa, Mahadiwulwewa, Panmadawachchiya, Therunamaranwadiya, Mullaittivu, Paranthan and Kuweini Junction at Iyakkachchi before it returned to Chundikulam this morning (25). On the way, troops under training confronted simulated ambushes, terrorist attacks and other interventions which were successfully thwarted by the rehearsing Combat Convoy Company (CCC) troops.
The closing ceremony this morning (25) at Chundikulam was attended by Major General Laksiri Waduge, General Officer Commanding (GOC), 52 Division as the Chief Guest together with, Major General Roshan Seneviratne, GOC, 51 Division, Brigadier Jayantha Gunaratne, Exercise Director, ‘Harmattan - 2’, Brigadier Priyantha Perera, Deputy Exercise Director and all CCC troops who received certificates of participation at the same occasion.
The FTX ‘Harmattan - 2’, comprised of 10 Regiments of the Army is made up of Infantry troops with Armour, Mechanized Infantry, Combat Support and Combat Service Support elements overcame their challenges under simulated threat conditions, identical to those prevailing in Mali. A separate Headquarters (HQ-EXCON) staff simultaneously monitored the applicability of standard drills against varying scenarios and expects to recommend improvements for effectiveness of the CCC if any.
The CCC is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel K.L.I Karunanayake with Major P.G.J Suriyasena as his Second in Command. The CCC, bound for Mali includes Army personnel of the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment (VIR), the majority in the contingent as well as members of the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps (SLAC), Sri Lanka Engineers (SLE), Sri Lanka Signal Corps (SLSC), Mechanized Infantry Regiment (MIR), Corps of Engineer Services (CES), Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (SLEME), Sri Lanka Army Service Corps (SLASC), Sri Lanka Army Ordnance Corps (SLAOC) and Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps (SLAMC) ready with a Level One hospital for Mali. 20 Officers and 240 Other Rankers will undertake those responsibilities in Mali as the replacement for the first CCC of the Sri Lanka Army who are scheduled to return upon completion of their one-year long tenure in December, this year.
A total of 19,000 members of the Sri Lanka Army have to-date served in UN peacekeeping missions either as Combat Troops, Military Observers (156), Staff Officers or as Assistants to Staff Officers in several parts of the world. As of today 150 Army members in Lebanon are serving the UN Interim Force (UNIFIL), 66 members in the UN mission in Sudan with Level 2 hospital in South Sudan (UNMISS), 65 all ranks in MINUSMA (Mali), 26 Army Officers in UN Staff Officer Missions and a group of 18 Officers including 2 lady Officers in the Western Sahara, Congo, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Abyei and New York.
During their overseas duties, 3 Sri Lankan Peacekeepers during 2005 and 2007 laid down their lives and were posthumously honoured with the prestigious UN Dag Hammarskjold Medal.Best Nike Sneakers | Nike Shoes, Clothing & Accessories
