Karuna cadres were not used in tactical or operational level during Sri Lanka military operation

A Sri Lankan military official has said that cadres affiliated to breakaway LTTE leader Karuna Amman were not used at a tactical or operational level during the humanitarian operation in the North and East.

Major General Chagi Gallage who headed the Task Force 1 during the humanitarian operation against the LTTE in 2009 has made the statement at the conference on "Defeating terrorism: The Sri Lankan experience" held in Colombo.

Gallage made this comment in response to a question posed by an Indian military officer attending the conference.

According to Gallage, the Karuna cadres were not used in the operation although they had shown a willingness to join the troops.

Major General Gallage has added that the only time they were used was to man a withdrawal route after the fall of Vakarai along the Batticaloa ' Trikonamadu route.

Sri Lanka military liberated the Eastern Province from the Tamil Tiger rebel control in 2007.