Denzil kobbakaduwa memorial | ඩෙන්සිල් කොබ්බෑකඩුව ඝාතනයෙන් පසු ඉදි වූ ස්මාරකය | Jaffna | LK Tourism

Lieutenant General Denzil Lakshman Kobbekaduwa, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP (Sinhala: ඩෙන්සිල් ලක්ෂ්මණ් කොබ්බෑකඩුව; 27 July 1940 - 8 August 1992) was a senior Sri Lankan Army officer who served in the 1971 Insurrection and the Sri Lankan Civil War.
Having trained with the British Army, Kobbekaduwa started his military career as an armoured corps officer. He was suspended following an alleged Ceylonese coup d'état attempt in 1966 and was reinstated in 1970 attached to internal security prior to and during the 1971 Insurrection. Following a brief stint as an officer instructor, he served as a staff officer attached several commands before commanding the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps. In the mid 1980s he served as district military coordinating officer before joining the general staff of the Joint Operations Command. At Joint Operations Command, he led the planned of the Vadamarachchi Operation, during which he commanded one of the three brigades. He served as the general officer commanding, the 1st Division and the 2nd Division; Overall Operations Commander, Eastern Sector before taking up command as Overall Operations Commander, Northern Sector. During which he held several major military operations such as Operation Gajasinghe and Operation Balavegaya. He was killed on the eve of launching Operation Final Count Down to recapture the Jaffna Peninsula, when he was mortally wounded and much of his senior staff in his command killed when the Land Rover they were travelling in hit a land mine in the island of Kayts.
Early life and education
He was born in Kandy to a Radala family. His father was Loku Bandara Kobbekaduwa and mother was Lona Ratwatte. He was their second child and eldest of three sons. Spending his early days at the Deldeniya Walauwa in the village of Deldeniya in Menikdiwela, Kadugannawa and at Amunugama Walauwa in the Amunugama village close to Kandy.[2] His uncle was the politician Hector Kobbekaduwa.
President J.R. Jayewardene and Minister of National Security Lalith Athulathmudali had political responsibility for the operation and terminated it following Operation Poomalai, the Indian air force's show of strength, in which it dropped supplies over Jaffna for the besieged Tamil Tigers on 4 June 1987, leading to the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord.
Death
Operation Final Count Down
In July 1992, General Kobbekaduwa returned to Colombo for his father's funeral. This was when he was preparing for a new offensive to capture the Jaffna peninsula which was under LTTE control, it was code named "Operation Final Count Down". On 2 August 1992 he was back in Colombo and met with President Ranasinghe Premadasa. He returned to his HQ in Palaly the next day. Since the launching pad for the offensive was the island of Kayts on 7 August, General Kobbekaduwa moved to Karainagar naval base by helicopter with his staff. He spent much of the night planning the upcoming offensive with Brigadier Vijaya Wimalaratne, Jaffna Brigade Commander and Commodore Mohan Jayamaha. Due to concerns of the navy about the staging area, it was decided to visit the Araly point the next day.
Araly Point
Lieutenant General Denzil Kobbekaduwa Memorial at Araly Point
On 8 August 1992 at 8.00 am the group made up of Maj. General Kobbekaduwa, Brigadier Wimalaratne and Commodore Jayamaha along with several other officers headed out on a naval patrol boat towards Jaffna and returned to Kayts pier. On returning the party was met by three Land Rovers, the General, the Brigadier and the Commodore got into the Land Rover UHA 8752 with the rest of the army personnel taking vehicle no UHA 8785 and the naval personnel taking 5959. From there they set out to Araly Point. Half way the general order that they all use one vehicle as to not to attract fire from LTTE units in the Jaffna peninsula which was only one-half kilometer away. They reached Araly Point and had a discussion and headed back when the Land Rover was consumed by an explosion. Major Rupasinghe and Major Induruwa who were 400 yards away from the incident ran to the location to find only General Kobbekaduwa and Commodore Jayamaha alive. Killed in the explosion was Brigadier Wimalaratne, Lt. Colonels G.H. Ariyaratne, A. Palipahana, H.R. Stephen, all three battalion commanders, Lieutenant Commander Asanga Lankathilaka, Lieutenant Commander C.B Wijepura, Major Nalin S. De Alwis; the General's Aide-de-camp and Corporal Jagath Wickramaratna. The two wounded officers were rushed to the helicopter waiting to transport the group to base, which took them to the military hospital in Plalay where Commodore Jayamaha was found dead on arrival. General Kobbekaduwa who was awake was then transferred to the Colombo General Hospital for surgery via helicopter. Where a specialist team of surgeons were unable to save his life.[13] It has been claimed by Jane's Information Group that the assassination was by the LTTE.[14]