"Fierce fighting continues in southern Jaffna" - LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 April 2001, 16:12 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said in press release issued from their headquarters in the Vanni Thursday evening that fierce fighting continues in southern Jaffna. "More than 300 Sri Lankan army soldiers were killed and over 1200 injured in the ferocious fighting that continues for the second day in the southern sector of the Jaffna peninsula. The Government troops have suffered massive casualties as the combat formations of the Liberation Tigers offered stiff and determined resistance to the offensive assault launched by the Sri Lankan army", the statement said.

The text of the statement follows:

"More than 300 Sri Lankan army soldiers were killed and over 1200 injured in the ferocious fighting that continues for the second day in the southern sector of the Jaffna peninsula. The Government troops have suffered massive casualties as the combat formations of the Liberation Tigers offered stiff and determined resistance to the offensive assault launched by the Sri Lankan army.

"Supported by heavy artillery, multi-barrel rocket fire and intense aerial bombardment, thousands of Sri Lankan troops launched a major offensive in Kilaly- Eluthumadduval-Nagar Kovil axis in the early hours of the morning yesterday. The LTTE combat units fought back fiercely with heavy artillery and mortar fire. The Government troops suffered heavy casualties as they ran into minefields and fell prey to accurate artillery and mortar fire by the Tamil Tigers. The special Tiger commando units engaged the troops defiantly and repulsed the attempts by the army to penetrate the LTTEís defence lines in that sector. Several battle tanks and armoured vehicles of the Sri Lankan army were destroyed or severely damaged.

"The LTTEís field commanders have confirmed that the strategic objective behind the current offensive operation of the Sri Lankan troops is to advance towards the Elephant Pass base, which the government lost to the Tamil Tiger fighters in April last year. Heavy fighting is still continuing in the area. We have lost 20 fighters so far in this battle."