Sri Lankan depots overrun on Sunday

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 October 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The LTTE confirmed today that they had overrun the newly established depots supplying the Sri Lankan army's 53rd division in the Vanni on Sunday night and captured a huge quantity of arms and ammunition.

In a statement sent to TamilNet, the LTTE said that their troops had stormed the military camps, situated about three kms from Kanakarayankulam, on Sunday night.

At least 100 Sri Lankan troops had been killed and 200 injured during the attacks carried out by the LTTE's commando units at Vingnanakulam and Karapukuthy. 72 Tigers also died in the fighting.

A huge quantity of arms, ammunition and military vehicles have been captured. The total value of the equipment is said to be 100 million rupees (1.6 million US dollars).

The equipment was meant for use by the Sri Lankan troops who are occupying Karu Patta Murippu, according to the LTTE.

In a similar attack on the 55 Brigade headquarters on 10 June, the LTTE captured over 200 million rupees worth of military hardware. At least 300 Sri Lankan soldiers and 80 Tigers died in that assault at Thandikulum.

Sources said that the LTTE handed over the bodies of 27 Sri Lankan soldiers to the ICRC at Malavi, yesterday (7 Oct.).

The bodies were recovered from the Vanni battlefield in the past few days. They had been abandoned when fierce LTTE counterattacks forced Sri Lankan units to withdraw.

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