Puliyankulam clash kills 7

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 January 1999, 12:10 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) said in a press note today that it had killed seven Liberation Tigers in fresh clashes that erupted in the Vanni on 13 January.

The press note said that an SLA patrol had come upon a hideout of the Tigers at Anandharpuliyankulam about eight kilometers east of Puliyankulam on the road to Nedunkerni around 6.15 p.m.

In the ensueing firefight, seven Tigers were killed according to the SLA press release.

In a subsequent search operation government troops had recovered six T56 rifles, two T 81 rifles, one gun fixed with night vision scope, two RPG's and one Light Machine Gun (LMG).

Army sources in Vavuniya, meanwhile, expressed concern that the Tigers were able to infiltrate all the way to Anandharpuliyankulam.

They said the recovery of the sophisticated night vision equipment indicated that the Tiger group troops confronted on Wednesday could be an advance reconnaissance party studying the area for a larger operation.

Gen.Anuruddha Ratwatte visited Vavuniya yesterday with the three service commanders.

He later proceeded thence to Oddusuddaan to inspect the defences and troops there sources said.

The visit could be a prelude to a fresh SLA thrust northeast of that town towards Mullaithivu, they speculated.