The Commandants since the formation of the SPECIAL TASK FORCE were SDIG Bodhi Liyanage SDIG Zerney Wijesuriya SDIG Lionel Karunasena SDIG Dharmasiri Weerakoon SDIG Nimal Gunatilleke SDIG Nimal Lewke
The Current Commandant is: DIG K.M.L. Sarathchandra
In 1983 with the outbreak of violence it convinced the government to form a special Counter Terrorist and Counter Insurgency police force called the Special Task Force. It comprised mainly of existing policemen. Trained by the Sri Lankan Army in the handling of Infantry weapons and were given basic training in Jungle warfare, They deeply resemble a para-military organization and later separate training facilities for the Special Task Force have been established in Kalutara, 96 kilometers south of Colombo. The first platoons formed were deployed in the North of Sri Lanka to provide additional support for Police Stations and to stem the LTTE separatists. The STF was enhanced considerably when crack former British Special Air Service (SAS) teams were brought in to provide specialized training in all aspects of Counter Terrorism and Counter insurgency operations August 11, 1984, that the Israel Internal Security Agency Shin Beth was involved in the training of the Sri Lankan armed forces.
The role of this unit nicknamed STF, was to be engaged in domestic Counter-Terrorism and Law Enforcement. Its character was based on Special Forces and Light Infantry activity. This is a branch of the Sri Lanka Police and has a reported strength of over 6000 personnel. Its nickname is Niyatha Jaya(Certain Victory)
By 1987, heavily involved in the Sri Lankan civil war, the STF was in control of the area from Kiran to Potuvil in the Batticaloa Division. The STF was deployed in Company formation into 15 separate camps. When the Indian Peace Keeping Force was moved into the Batticaloa in 1987 as part of the ongoing peace process, the STF was in complete control of Batticoloa, and had restored a level of normalcy to the area. From 1983 to 1987 when the STF was in control over Batticoloa not a single STF camp had come under attack from the LTTE. In its first major operation since the signing of the ceasefire agreement in 2002, Special Task Force troops launched a limited offensive named Operation Niyathai Jaya. As a result of this offensive, the elite police commandos were able to overrun more than fifteen rebel camps including the Stanly Base, which was the main LTTE camp in the Ampara District and a regional intelligence and supply camp of the LTTE, Bagayadi Base, where local and foreign foodstuffs and sanitary material was stored, Janak Base, which made clothing identical to Sri Lanka Army and Special Task Force uniforms Jeewan Base, which was another supply camp from which the STF was able to recover four vehicles and the Diana Base where LTTE leaders meet. This camp was furnished with luxury items which were denied to the ordinary LTTE cadres
After the fall of Stanly Base, STF troops were able to find an explosive laden truck and a motor cycle that the rebels were planning to use to carry out suicide attacks in the capital of Colombo. And it is also reported that LTTE was housing a large number of child soldiers conscripted by them in this camp. Other than that, STF troops were able to recover a large quantity of arms and ammunition, coffins, large number of anti-personnel mines, satellite and radio receivers, tents with the logo of ‘UNCHR’ and a fully equipped hospital donated to the militants by a Dutch INGO named ZOA Refugee Care. This NGO donated a hospital which is named by the tigers as Thileepan memorial hospital. STF said that they also found a water tanker truck donated by, the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) which is a front organization of the LTTE, who collect funds especially in the United States and Canada purportedly for civilians, but actually for the terrorist group. They have now been banned and are being prosecuted by the USA, UK and our Government, as although they are falsely registered as a charity in reality it is a LTTE front operation. However, aid workers argue that the supplies must have been taken after they evacuated their office due to heavy fighting. The general opinion however is that although some of the observations may be correct it is an indisputable fact that a few INGOs are assisting the rebels. The Government is now taking steps to deport them after canceling their registration. As a result of this mission STF troops were able to kill four rebels and the STF commented that the militants were fleeing from the area without retaliating against their troops.
OPERATION NIYATHAI JAYA
The STF is internationally recognized for its expertise in these areas and it is often invited to assist foreign law enforcement agencies with planning major events such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics and in dealing with possible terrorist threats.
