Claymore blast wounds SLA officer

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 July 2000, 11:08 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Major and seven soldiers were critically wounded in a claymore mine attack by the Liberation Tigers at Serunuwara in the Mutur area, south-west of Trincomalee, around 12.45 p.m. Tuesday, security sources said.

Initial reports said a bomb exploded at the Serunuwara SLA camp.

The soldiers were travelling in a vehicle between Left Bank Channel 2 and 3. The army vehicle was severely damaged, security sources said.

All the wounded soldiers were airlifted to the Anuradhapura hospital, sources said.

Serunuwara is a new Sinhala settlement, which is situated on the Allai-Kantalai road.

Meanwhile security personnel have resumed foot patrols, and increasing presence of soldiers and police commandos have been seen in the Trincomalee town checking civilians, especially young boys and girls, residents in the eastern port town said.

Security sources said they have information that LTTE members have infiltrated the town. Last week a Police Sergeant attached to the Special Investigations Unit was shot dead in the high-security zone of the town.

In a separate incident, three policemen were wounded when a grenade was thrown at the main office of the Counter Subversive Unit (CSU) in the high security zone in the northern town of Vavuniya around 6.30 p.m. Tuesday, said sources.