Artillery duel in Mannaar, hospitals on red alert

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 September 2007, 07:10 GMT]
Heavy artillery streaked from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled Mannaar into Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) controlled Maanthai West Monday morning, following a SLA ground operation in Mannaar Vavuniyaa border Sunday evening. The artillery barrage by SLA began to shake the city at 5:30 a.m. The SLA has notified the two hospitals, Mannaar general hospital and Murungkan district hospital, to be put on high alert. Telephone links to LTTE controlled Maanthai West have been cut off.

SLA's artillery launchpads at Chemma'ntheevu, Kaddaikkaadu and South Bar were firing shells targeting Parappukkadanthaan area in LTTE controlled Maanthai West, according to the initial reports.

LTTE fired shells also hit SLA controlled area and civilians in SLA controlled Uyirththaraasanku'lam have displaced to St. Anthony's church a few shells had hit the playground in Uyirththaraasanku'lam and the premises of Agriculture Training Centre on Mannaar Mathawachchi Road.

The SLA had suffered casualties in a ground operation launched Sunday in Thampanai area in Vavuniyaa Mannaar border, informed sources said.

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