SLA launches artillery fire on Muttur east villages

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 June 2006, 08:28 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has been continuing its multi-barrel artillery attacks on several villages in the Liberation Tigers held Muttur east in the Trincomalee district which began around 10.30 a.m. Thursday morning. Several houses belong to Tamil civilians in Sampoor, Kaddaiparichchan, Koonitivu, Soodaikuda and Ilankanthai have been destroyed in the artillery fire now being carried out from SLA camp located at Monkey Bridge along Trincomalee-Kandy road about 10 km off southwest of east port town, sources said.

"You can hear explosion of multi-barrel artillery shells in our area," said Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) by telephone to media.

Multi-barrel artillery fire is still going on. As such we are unable to tell the casualties to the civilian population. More than seventy artillery shells including multi-barrel shells have been fired at the Muttur east villages, said Mr.Elilan.

Monitors of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission based in Trincomalee town were also present in Muttur east when the artillery attack was going on, Mr.Elilan added.