Muhamalai overrun, battle on Mandaithivu

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 August 2006, 07:11 GMT]
Heavy fighting is reported at different locations in the southern Jaffna peninsula between Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and the Liberation Tigers. The Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio confirmed that LTTE forces repelling SLA offensive towards Elephant Pass have now broken through SLA forward defence lines (FDLs) at Muhamalai. But Jaffna correspondents quoted military sources as saying that FDLs had been "breached in several locations." SLA artillery and Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) jets are bombing Mandathivu island, which LTTE officials say had been prepared as a launch pad for another offensive into Vanni.



The VoT said Saturday that LTTE forces had overrun SLA fortifications at Muhamalai and advanced into government controlled parts of southern Jaffna where heavy fighting is underway.

Jaffna correspondents quoted Sri Lankan military sources as saying the Kilali-Nagerkovil FDL running through Muhamalai had been breached at several locations and that several SLA strong points had been overrun.

Mandaithivu, an islet off the coast of Jaffna, is being bombed by Kfir jets of the Air Force (SLAF) while being shelled by SLA artillery and multi-barrel rocket launchers, correspondents also said.

Additional troops of the Sri Lanka Army and Navy were being rushed to Allaipiddy.

The SLN is said to have abandoned parts of Mandaithivu, which LTTE officials said was being prepared as a springboard for another SLA offensive into the Pooneryn region of LTTE-controlled Vanni.

LTTE officials contacted by TamilNet said operations were underway to disrupt a major SLA offensive into Vanni launched late Friday. Prepared to say only that the counter-offensive was going according to plan, they said details would be released later.

Sri Lanka's defence ministry insisted, however, that government forces were in “total control” of Jaffna and that shelling by the LTTE Friday night had subsided after SLA returned fire.