the territory of Vadamarachchi in the Jaffna peninsula from LTTE (Tamil Tiger) control. LTTE forces destroyed the bridge at Thondaimanaru to slow army progress towards Valvettithurai, the town of LTTE leader Prabhakaran's birth. On 28 May, army troops captured Udupiddy, Valvettithurai and Nelliady. By the end of the first week of June, the army had gained control over the entire zone and captured a large cache of arms left by the LTTE. 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. Principal staff officer In December 1987, he was appointed Principal staff officer of the Joint Operations Command and was nominated to attended the Royal College of Defence Studies. He turned down the nomination that year and accompanied resident J. R. Jayewardene to Islamabad for the fourth SAARC summit in 1988. On his return he was sent to the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1989, only to be recalled during the middle of the course. However, he was quickly sent back once the British government questioned the recall mid-course. Higher command On 1 January 1990, he was promoted to major general and was appointed as general officer commanding, 1st Division based at the Panagoda Cantonment. With the resumption of hostilities in the Eelam War II or the second phase of the civil war with following the failure of peace talks in June 1990, Kobbekaduwa was transferred to the Eastern Province as Overall Operations Commander, Eastern Sector. In July he was appointed as general officer commanding, 2nd Division and Overall Operations Commander, Northern Sector directing military operations in the northern province with his headquarters based in Anuradhapura. He launched operation "Operation Gajasinghe", withdrawing troops from Kilinochchi and strengthening the Army garrison at Elephant Pass, the critical land strip that linked the Jaffna peninsula with the mainland. New camps were set up around the main base, expanding its size. On 10 July 1991, Elephant Pass came under siege by an LTTE attack which it code-named "Operation Charles Anthony", its first suicide bomber. 800 troops of the 6th battalion, Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment held out. Operation Balavegaya At this point, Major General Kobbekaduwa proposed an amphibious assault launched code named