Heavy fighting east of Kanakarayan Kulam

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 October 1997, 23:59 GMT]
Heavy fighting in the general area east of Kanakarayan Kulam erupted last night when the Liberation Tigers launched a concentrated attack on the Sri Lankan army positions there.

The fighting went on till day break said the Sri Lankan army in Vavuniya. Five soldiers were killed in the LTTE attack it said.

The SLA claimed in a news release that that it has brought under control 30 kilometers of the 76 kilometers of the Vavuniya Kilinochchi road that was under the control of the Liberation Tigers.

It was also claimed that the SLA is drawing close to Mankulam.

Sources in Vavuniya, however, said that the Sri Lankan army is east of Kanakarayan Kulam in the dense jungles and are yet to reach or control any part of the road between Puliyankulam and Mankulam.

The SLA is yet to break through the defences of the Liberation Tigers at Puliyankulam junction.

The Sri Lankan troops are still at the old railway shed which is one mile south of the junction.