Sri Lankan Women Fight for Guerrillas : Civil strife: The all-female combat force has been fighting alongside men since 1983 for an independent homeland.

Cradling AK-47 assault rifles, the women ride bicycles and drive battered pickup trucks through the war-torn streets of Jaffna.

The Womens’ Combat Force of Liberation Tigers (WCFLT) regularly patrols the streets of this northern Sri Lankan town, which has been devastated by the island’s ethnic violence.

“We are proud of our unit,” says Jeya, the 28-year-old leader of the WCFLT, the womens’ brigade of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam guerrillas.

The Tigers have been fighting since 1983 in the north and east of Sri Lanka for an independent homeland called Eelam for the island’s 3 million Tamils.

Thousands of people, including security men, rebels and civilians, have been killed in the civil war. Buildings and other property have been shelled and bombed. Jaffna has taken the worst battering.

The WCFLT was first formed in 1984 as an administration unit. But as the war escalated, the unit joined the male-dominated combat ranks and saw its first action in October, 1987, when Indian troops were on the island to enforce a peace accord.

Fighting between Indian troops and the Tigers at Kopay in the north claimed the first WCFLT fatality in 22-year-old Malathi. Since then, Jeya said the unit had lost 242 women in attacks on army camps and ambushes.

The women faced a crucial test in July when government troops and Tigers fought their biggest ever battle for a strategic army camp at Elephant Pass.

The pass--named after the mode of transport used to cross it when majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils were at peace--connects the Jaffna peninsula with the south of the island.

After a three-week battle, an army relief force of 8,000 soldiers broke through stiff rebel defenses to rescue 800 soldiers trapped at the camp.

The women’s brigade played a major role in the battle and lost 119 fighters, Jeya said.

“We played a special role attacking the camp as well as the troop column which was advancing from the beach,” the Jaffna University political science graduate said.

“We gained good experience in fighting a conventional army, face to face.”

“Though we lost, the Elephant Pass battle gave us self-confidence and a sign of victory in the struggle for Eelam,” said Jeya, clad in military fatigues, a revolver strapped to her waist.

Like all WCFLT and Tiger fighters, Jeya wears a small bottle of cyanide on a chain around her neck. The rebels are expected to commit suicide by swallowing the poison to evade capture.

Jeya was involved in politics during her school days. Initially a supporter of a more moderate Tamil political party, she became a Tiger supporter after ethnic riots flared in Colombo in 1983.

In a society where the roles of men and women are clearly defined, enrolling women in the rebel movement was difficult.

“There were objections at first. Society looked at us with doubt. Many were shocked to see women in uniform and carrying arms. But after proving our capabilities on the battlefield, the people look at us with respect and trust,” Jeya said.

Young women between the ages 15 and 25 are selected after a rigorous screening process and are sent to separate training camps to learn how to fight and use weapons.

Mixing with male members of the Tigers is prohibited.

Although Jeya declined to elaborate on the strength of the WCFLT, military sources estimate that they account for about 1,000 of around 10,000 Tiger rebels.

A Tiger spokesman said 500 of their men were killed and about 1,000 wounded at Elephant Pass. More than 400 soldiers were killed and over 1,000 wounded, he added.