Sri Lanka Army intensifies artillery barrage on Vakarai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 November 2006, 11:55 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army Sunday morning intensified multi-barrel and artillery attacks from four different bases towards Liberation Tigers controlled Vakarai causing thousands of Internally Displaced Tamil families from Vakarai, Panichchankerni and Alamkulam to flee on foot, civil sources in Vakarai said. The already scuttled transport was brought to a halt by the intensified attack, reported between 3:30 and 8:30 a.m. The artillery barrage comes amid condemnations from the International Community against the attack on refugee camp in Kathiraveli, 15 km north of Vaaharai, where tens of Tamil civilians were killed and more than a hundred wounded.

The SLA artillery and MBRL attacks were launched simultaneously from Valaichenai, Mankerni, Puanai and Karadikulam.

Casualty details were not available at the moment.

The SLA officials in Valaichenai denied attacks on civilian targets and said they were only targeting identified targets.

Since Novebmer 05, the SLA has launched artillery attacks and the Sri Lankan troops were being deployed at Gajuwatte SLA camp.

47 Tamil civilians were killed Wednesday in the SLA attack on Kathiraveli Vigneswara School and the surrounding areas in the densely populated Kathiraveli, according to LTTE officials in Vakarai.

Chronology: