Army takes over ground security at air force bases

By Tissa Ravindra Perera
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa yesterday delegated the army to take over the ground security of several major air force bases following the Anuradhapura attack, highly placed sources told The Bottom Line yesterday.

Rajapaksa has already tasked the Army’s Gajaba Regiment Centre to take control of the Anuradhapura air force base ground security set up.
Meanwhile, the Katunayake Air Force Base ground security will come under the purview of Major General Laksiri Amaratunga, while ground security at the Ratmalana Air Force Base will be handled by the 112 Brigade.

Meanwhile, following Monday’s attack, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has decided to appoint Major General Sanath Karunaratne as the overall operations commander in Anuradhapura. The position is a new one.

With this new appointment, the three forces, police and the intelligence service in the district will come under his purview.

Meanwhile, the initial report by the two special teams carrying out the investigations is expected to be released within the next one week, while the final report will be out within one to two months.