 The terrain consisted of sand dunes, dotted with thorny scrub and Palmyra palms, an area that did not provide any natural cover against aerial, naval and artillery bombardment.Therefore, the confrontation assumed the character of a conventional warfare, with the combatants facing each other in open battle.It took nearly 18 days for Sri Lankan troops to fight their way on the 12-kilometer stretch to reach the Elephant Pass base, due to heavy resistance and minefields.