Claymore hits SLA jeep in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 June 1999, 17:00 GMT]
Four SLA soldiers were wounded when the jeep in which they were traveling was hit by a claymore mine set off by the Liberation Tigers this evening around 9.45 p.m. at Eeratperiyakulam, 3 kilomters south of Vavuniya town, on the highway to Anuradhapura. One of the soldiers succumbed to his injuries on admission to the Vavuniya hospital and the condition of another is serious said Police sources.

The SLA jeep was hit near the bridge at Eeratperiyakulam. The attackers had fired on the security forces unit that had rushed to the spot following the blast. The SLA has a large base at Eeratperiyakulam.

The main army check point on the entrance to Vavuniya is a kilometer further south of the bridge on the main road to Anuradhapura. Police sources in Vavuniya expressed alarm that the Tigers were able to blast a claymore mine and open fire on the security forces in the high security zone of Eeratperiyakulam.

The wounded soldiers were identified as Pushpakumara, chandrasiri and Dissanayaka.