SLA destroys own tanks

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 22 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The SLA in Vavuniya said today that troops of Operation Jayasikurui destroyed two of their own Main Battle Tanks (MBT) which the Liberation Tigers had attacked and immobilised on Monday when they (SLA troops) were retreating from LTTE held areas into which they had attempted to advance from the early morning that day.

SLA sources said that one of the MBTs destroyed was a T-85 and the other was a T-55. Troops had fired RPGs to destroy the MBT's which had been immobilised in the LTTE held area to prevent them from being taken away by the Tigers said SLA sources.

The Voice of Tigers said in their night news broadcast on Monday that three SLA tanks were destroyed and three were damaged in the LTTE's counter attack on the troops of Operation Jayasikurui.

This was reported in the Uthayan, the Jaffna daily, yesterday.

Meanwhile, according to intercepts of LTTE's communications by SLA's military intelligence, the Tigers have captured Maj. Chandima Gunaratna of the army engineers said army sources in Colombo.

Major Gunaratna was reported missing in Monday's action along with some SLA troops.