Urban Terror

In any war, civilians suffer. But in the Sri Lankan war, civilians are made primary targets simply because of their ancestry. The war has spawned a mass of vigilante actions and terrorist attacks, with civilians being slaughtered in retaliation for the other side's atrocities. Tamils kill Sinhalese and Sinhalese kill Tamils and Muslims.

In some cases, the authorities have been accused of standing by while the terrorists carry out their attack as the IPKF was during its fighting with Tamils. Sometimes, the authorities are even accused of assisting the terrorists as the Army and police were accused following the 1983 massacres. In recent years, however, the Sri Lankan authorities have been striving to stop the terrorism, regardless of who the terrorists are.

In this scenario, the Army faces off against the terrorists in a Hindu Temple on the outskirts of Colombo. The Army must try to rescue the hostages inside the bank and kill the terrorists, while the terrorists must somehow try to escape. 

This is a fairly straightforward hostage scenario and is excellent for learning Initiative and Morale rules. Players who wish to try negotiation between the terrorists and the military should use communications guidelines in the Initiative rules (”PCCS” Section 5.5).

Terrorists: The Terrorists are Sinhalese Janatha Vinukthi Peramuna (JVP) who have attacked the Hindu temple in retaliation for an LTTE attack on northern fishing villages a week ago. The attack was to terrorize the Tamil civilians and blow up part of the temple. They were cursing the misfortune that had a passing Army patrol force them into a hostage situation. The JVP must now somehow escape. KILLING HOSTAGES IS NOT AN OBJECTIVE. JVP set up inside the Temple.

Terrorist Units:

Number             Quality              Weapons

2                      Line                  AK-47

3                      Green               AK-47

1                      Green               AK-47, 2 x 10-lb TNT charges

Ammunition: All soldiers carry 6 magazines FMJ.

Army Units: The Army unit was returning to its base when it saw frightened civilians in the streets surrounding the temple and came under fire from the terrorists inside. Although the situation has been quiet for some time now, the Army knows that it must get the hostages out alive and capture or kill the terrorists. The Army units set up in the street.

Army Units:

Number             Quality              Weapons

2                      Line                  AK-47

1                      Green               Bren L4

6                      Green               AK-47

Ammunition: All soldiers with rifles carry 5 magazines FMJ. The Bren gunner carries 3 magazines FMJ. All soldiers also carry 2 RGD-5 hand grenades.

Hostages: There are 5 civilian hostages in the Temple building. They have been forced to lie prone on the floor by the JVP terrorists. Although the JVP objective is not to kill the hostages, threats of killing may be used by JVP forces to hinder Army operations. Manhandling a hostage as a human shield requires double AC for movement.

Victory: A simple point system is used to determine the victory in this scenario. Give the Army player 1 point for every hostage which is rescued unharmed, but deduct 2 points for every terrorist who manages to make it off the map free and alive. If the total is below zero, the Army has suffered a major defeat. If the total is 1 to 3, the scenario is a draw. If the total is above 3, the Army wins the scenario.