SLA operation in Vanni

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 March 1999, 11:45 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) began a limited operation into the areas held by the Liberation Tigers north of the Vavuniya-Mannar road in the early hours of the morning today. Army sources in Vavuniya said that the operation was launched from Poovarasankulam, 15 kilometers west of Vavuniya towards Iranai Iluppaikkulam in the interior.

SLA troops met with no resistance from the Liberation Tigers as they moved north from the general area of Poovarasankulam said sources.

More than eight thousand civilians in several villages between Poovarasankulam and Iranai Iluppaikkulam are now in the area brought under SLA's control said Vavuniya Kachcheri sources today.

The army has asked for eight thousand packets of cooked food to feed these civilians they said.

All traffic on the Madawachchiya-Mannar road and the Vavuniya-Mannar road today.

The mobility of the Liberation Tigers on the western part of the Vanni would be greatly debilitated by the capture of the Iranai Iluppaikkulam junction said SLA sources.

Currently, all traffic from Madhu to other parts of the LTTE controlled Vanni has to pass through the Iranai Illuppaikulam junction.

Meanwhile the Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio said this morning that one member of the Liberation Tigers, Ithayakeethan (Thevathasan Nithiyarajah of Ampara) and one of its supporter, Pathmanathapillai Thayaparan of Ampara, died in a clash with the STF at Sinnawaththai in the Batticaloa district yesterday.

The radio further said that two Liberation Tigers died in a clash at Nedunkerny on Thursday, Marh 4. The radio gave their names as: Lt. Kuna (Kanapathipillai Ranjana of Nedunkerny) and nd Lt. Vathya (Chanrasekarampillai Sri Pathmapiriya of Jaffna).

On the same day another LTTE member, Ilankuyil (Kanakaratnam Komathi of Mulngavil) died in an accident at Oddusudan.

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