With the escalation of the
Sri Lankan Civil War in the mid-1980s the Sri Lanka Army formed a "Combat Tracker Team" in 1985 to conduct
direct action and
covert reconnaissance against
LTTE units operating in the thick jungles in the northern part of the island in small groups. At its inception this unit was made up of two officers and 38 men under the command of Major
Gamini Hettiarachchi from the
Sri Lanka Armoured Corps. The Combat Tracker Team became the reconnaissance element of the short-lived Special Service Group (SSG) and was renamed as the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) (Special Force) in 1985 which operated independently, during which time Lieutenant (later Colonel)
A. F. Lafir joined the RDF from the
Gajaba Regiment. Following several successful operations, the RDF was gradually expanded to four squadrons. On 10 December 1988, the RDF (SF) was officially designated as the 1 Special Forces Regiment (1 SF)
Naula in the Central province under the command of Major G. Hettiarachchi. With the view of increasing its mobility and stroke capacity 1 SF formed Combat Rider Team with assistance from
South Africa. The 2 Special Forces Regiment (2 SF) was formed on 18 February 1994 at Monkey Bridge Camp in
Trincomalee with detached B, D, and E squadrons of 1 SF under the command of Major Raj Wijesiri. 2 SF soon raised a Combat Diver Team to specializing in
amphibious warfare and later moved to Nayaru on the eastern seaboard. On 18 July 1996 the 25 Brigade HQ of the Sri Lanka Army at its base at Mullaitivu came under attack in what is known as the
Battle of Mullaitivu. 1SF and 2SF were dropped by helicopter to spearhead in the rescue operation which reached the base on 23 July. Both units suffered heavy casualties including the commanding officer of 1SF, Lieutenant Colonel
A. F. Lafir who was posthumously awarded the
Parama Weera Vibhushanaya. In August 1996, the 3 Special Forces Regiment (3 SF) was formed with personal from the other two SF regiments to develop amphibious warfare capability to counter activity of the
Sea Tigers, it was soon re-tasked to carryout
long-range penetration missions in deep into LTTE controlled areas. This resulted in the start of
Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) concept in September 1996 with 3 SF based at
Vavuniya under the command of Major
Mahesh Senanayake. 3 SF rescinded J and K Squadrons and created M Squadron. In December 1996, the Special Forces Brigade was formed bringing 1SF, 2SF and 3SF under its operational command. On 15 June 2008, 4 Special Forces Regiment (4 SF) was raised at SF Training School in
Maduru Oya under the command of Major J.P.C. Peiris support the demands of the
new northern offensive. == Organisation ==