Air Force chief applauds President

By Ramesh Warallegama

Air Force commander Air Marshal Roshan Goonetilake said yesterday that the political leadership given by President Mahinda Rajapaksa was key to the military victory against the LTTE.
The air force fought the war as a team and would share the glory of the military victory also as a team, he said yesterday speaking at a Ranaviru felicitation ceremony held at the Diyatalawa Air Force Base.
He said, other than aerial bombardment of LTTE camps , the close air support provided by the air force was a morale boost for the soldiers. He further said that the president despite his manifold responsibilities, always granted requests made by the security forces and though, unknown to the public, withstood international pressure to stop the military operation against the LTTE and was victorious in the end.