Operation Pawan

Operation Pawan
	Part of Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan Civil War
Date	11–25 October 1987
Location	Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka
Result	Tactical Victory ; Political and Strategic Failure
Belligerents
India Indian Peace Keeping Force;	Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Commanders and leaders
Rajiv Gandhi; R.I.S. Kahlon	Velupillai Prabhakaran
Units involved
Indian Armed Forces Indian Peace Keeping Force Indian Army XII Corps 340 Independent Infantry Brigade (Amphibious) Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry; Punjab Light Infantry; ; ; 18 Infantry Brigade 4th Battalion; Mahar Regiment; 12th Battalion, Grenadiers; ; 47 Infantry Brigade 11th Battalion; Madras Regiment; 5th Battalion; Maratha Light Infantry; 14th Battalion; Sikh Light Infantry; ; 57 Infantry Division; 4 Mountain Division; 72 Infantry Brigade 4th Battalion; 5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force); 13th Battalion; Sikh Light Infantry; ; 41 Infantry Brigade 5th Battalion; Rajputana Rifles; ; Parachute Regiment 1st Battalions; 9th Battalions; 5th Battalions; ; ; Indian Navy; Indian Air Force; ; ;	Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Sea Tigers; Air Tigers; Black Tigers (Details); ;
Strength
100,000	1200-2000
Casualties and losses
214 killed,; 700 wounded; 36 missing	300 killed, ; 100 captured

Operation Pawan (Sanskrit: कार्यवाही पवन Kãryvãhi Pavan, lit. "Operation Wind") was the code name assigned to the operation by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to take control of Jaffna from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), better known as the Tamil Tigers, in late 1987 to enforce the disarmament of the LTTE as a part of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord. In brutal fighting lasting about three weeks, the IPKF took control of the Jaffna Peninsula from the LTTE, something that the Sri Lankan Army had tried but failed to do. Supported by Indian Army tanks, helicopter gunships and heavy artillery, the IPKF routed the LTTE at the cost of 214 soldiers and officers.