2ND LEAD (UPDATE)

Claymore ambush in Batticaloa kills STF commando

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 December 2007, 06:16 GMT]
A Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) commando was killed and a policeman wounded in a Claymore ambush, 29 km southeast of Batticaloa at Ka'luvaagnchchikkudi Thursday morning around 7:45, Police said. A youth was wounded in the attack on the STF foot patrol unit engaged in checking persons passing through the area.

The STF commando killed was identified as Chandrakumar, 40 and the policeman injured as P. Lalith, 42.

The injured policeman was rushed to Ka'luvaangnchchikkudi hospital first and later transferred to Ampaa'rai district hospital.

The civilian injured in the attack is K. Jeyaroopan, 15, a resident of Ka'luvaangchchikkudi.

Jeyaroopan was rushed to Ka'luvaangnchchikkudi hospital first and later transferred to Batticaloa hospital.

The Claymore device was fixed hidden on a bicycle kept along the street.

STF troops and policemen rushed to the site of the attack and conducted search operation for nearly an hour.

The town was deserted following the attack for more than an hour.