SLA, LTTE exchange mortar fire in Vavunathivu, Kommathurai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 November 2006, 07:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) exchanged mortar fire in Vavunathivu, 5 km southwest of Batticaloa town and Kommathurai and Black Bridge, 15 km northwest of Batticaloa Saturday evening and night. Details of civilian casualties or LTTE casualties were not available. 4 SLA soldiers were wounded and admitted to Polonnaruwa hospital. Meanwhile, a dead body was handed over to Valaichenai hospital by the SLA soldiers Saturday, medical sources said.

The body handed over to Valaichenai hospital, is yet to be identified, medical sources said.

2 SLA soldiers, wounded in Kommathurai when the parties exchanged mortar fire Sunday evening, were identified as V.P. Tissakumara Marasinghe, 32, and Wattalawatte Jeyaratne, 35.

In Vavunathivu, SLA began firing mortar shells around 11:00 p.m. Saturday. When LTTE began retaliating with mortar fire, 2 SLA soldiers were wounded. The wounded soldiers were identified as T.M. Premasiri, 31, and K.M. Susantha Ranjith, 27.

The exchange of mortar fire in Vavunathivu went on till 4:00 a.m. Sunday, civilian sources said.