Artillery duels rock Jaffna peninsula

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 December 1999, 12:44 GMT]
Heavy fighting is raging in the southern defence lines of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) base at Elephant Pass, SLA sources in the Jaffna peninsula told TamilNet today. The Liberation Tigers are pounding the defence lines and camps in the area with artillery, they said.

The Tigers are also reported to have stepped up their artillery attacks on SLA positions inside the peninsula.

Reports said the SLA has relocated several of its artillery positions to the interior of the peninsula.

Residents complain that the SLA has set up howitzers at Kopay, Puthur and Siruppiddy on the Jaffna Pt.Pedo road.

They said windows of the computer room at the Kopay Christian College were shattered when SLA's artillery near the school opened fire.

The residents are fearful of being killed if the newly sited SLA artillery positions come under retaliatory LTTE attack.

Meanwhile, the LTTE has repeatedly made announcements over the Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio urging the peninsula's civilians to move away from SLA camps and artillery positions.