Washington’s ‘Pacific Angel’ lands in Colombo as US trains Sri Lanka’s war criminals

The United States concluded “Exercise Pacific Angel – 2025” in Sri Lanka last week, further entrenching military cooperation with Colombo despite ongoing allegations of war crimes and genocide by Sri Lankan security forces.

The five-day exercise, held from September 8–12 at Katunayake Air Base, brought together personnel from the US, Sri Lanka, Australia, Bangladesh, India, Japan and the Maldives. Training focused on search and rescue, medical readiness, disaster relief and “interoperability among Indo-Pacific partners,” according to Sri Lanka’s Secretary of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd).

Senior Sri Lankan military officials, including Air Force Commander Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe, attended the drills alongside US Ambassador Julie Chung, who presided over the closing ceremony. “This exercise demonstrates how we prepare together for real world challenges, and how cooperation strengthens our collective ability,” she declared.

US officials praised the exercise as the largest multilateral drill hosted in Sri Lanka this year. “Pac Angel is more than just an exercise; it is about forging real-world cooperation,” said US Defence Attaché Lt. Col. Matthew House, adding that it would “strengthen trust” and “deter threats.”

The exercises were followed by the ceremonial launch of a US-funded hospital refurbishment in Akaragama, with Rs. 40 million allocated for upgrades and Rs. 8.8 million in medical equipment. Ambassador Chung hailed the initiative as a symbol of partnership.

Critics, however, point to Washington’s growing security engagement with Sri Lanka as yet another example of the West turning a blind eye to impunity. The same Sri Lankan military units now training side-by-side with the US stand accused of atrocities during the armed conflict, including massacres, mass sexual violence and the shelling of hospitals. Despite repeated UN reports warning of systemic torture, enforced disappearances and militarisation of the Tamil homeland, US military cooperation has not only continued but expanded.

While Washington frames Pac Angel as “humanitarian cooperation,” its effect is to legitimise Colombo’s forces and integrate them further into regional security frameworks.