Former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka hit back strongly at President Maithripala Sirisena over the latter's statement that he was the one who led the military assault on the LTTE during the last two weeks of war. 

"The former President had to leave the country for an official visit and and returned on May 16, 2009. I had to leave for China for an official matter. At that stage, everything had been carefully planned and the outcome was quite  certain. Only the Corporals and Sergeants had a lot of work during the last two weeks as they had to implement our instructions on the ground," Fonseka said. 

"Therefore, it is those who think like Corporals and Sergeants believe they masterminded the military assault on the LTTE by being in the thick of action only for two weeks."

Fonseka went on to add that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa - his arch rivals in politics - did not flee the country during the last two weeks of war. 

"The final assault on the LTTE spanned for nearly two and a half years. It is a meticulous operation. No one can make a decisive impact by covering up duties for two weeks. It makes no impact on the war," the former Army Commander said, responding to the President's statement. 

President Sirisena, speaking to the Sri Lankan community in New York said, the top-brass of the military operation - namely former President Rajapaksa, former Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickremanayake, former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and former Army Commander Fonseka - stayed out of the country during the last two weeks of war due to fears that the LTTE would launch a devestating air attack on Colombo.