Heavy fighting continues in Vanni

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 October 1997, 23:59 GMT]
Heavy fighting continued today at Kanakarayan Kulam and on the Mankulam Ottisuddan road as the Liberation Tigers stepped up attacks on columns of Sri Lankan army's Div.53.

Sources claimed that last night a section of Sri Lankan army's Div.53 lost a large quantity of arms and ammunition to the Liberation Tigers near Olumadu on the Mankulam-Ottisuddan road.

The Sri Lankan ministry of Defence claimed today that only 30 soldiers were killed and 47 wounded in this LTTE counter assault last night. The toll is much higher say sources in Vavuniya.

A third Sri Lankan air force helicopter was hit today by the anti-aircraft units of the LTTE in the area east of Mankulam.

Meanwhile Sri Lankan army sources claimed that a M.I 17 helicopter carrying 30 soldiers from the China bay air force base to the Elephant Pass camp in the north narrowly missed an anti aircraft missile fired by the Sea Tigers in the high seas off the Mullaitivu coast.

It was also stated that the missile was detected and destroyed by the Sri Lanka air force pilot who had activated the anti-missile system of the MI 17.

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