Two attacks against troops Saturday night, says SLA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 January 2006, 01:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops on foot patrol in Irupalai area along Jaffna Point-Pedro came under fire from unknown gunmen Saturday evening, and in another incident in Chulipuram one SLA trooper was injured when unknown gunmen hurled a grenade at a SLA foot patrol, military sources in Jaffna said, without blaming any party for the attacks.

In Irupalai the gunmen hiding behind buildings opened fire and the SLA had returned fire, according to military sources. Areas around Irupalai, Kalviyankadu and Kopay were cordoned off and searched after the incident, Irupalai residents said.

Vehicular traffic and civilians using the approach roads to Irupalai were subjected to stringent checks, residents said.

Chulipuram area was also cordoned and searched following the grenade incident, according to residents.

Earlier Saturday morning areas surrounding Nallur, north of Jaffna town, were also cordoned and searched by SLA, residents there said.

Although military sources in Jaffna district said that the two attacks happened after a few days of relative calm, the military desisted from blaming the attacks on any party.

Speculation is rife among Jaffna residents and local Tamil media that the attacks may have been staged by SLA intelligence operatives and paramilitaries operating with them to pointing blame at the Tamil militia. Tamil Resurgence Force in Jaffna district had said after the Norway-LTTE talks, that they will stop all attacks against SLA soldiers.