Civilians caught in Army ambush

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 December 1997, 23:59 GMT]
Troops of Operation Jayasikurui operating in small groups ahead of their forward positions in Karuppatta Murippu on the Mankulam - Ottisuttan road ambushed on Saturday a group of civilians who went to retrieve goods from their homes in Thanduwan, Maamadu and Palampaasi.

Kumarasamy Balasubramaniam 39, the father of three children was killed in the army fire.

The others in the group who had set out from Mulliavalai escaped by running into the jungle.

Civilians from the villages of Thanduvan, Maamadu and Palampaasi in the Mullaithivu district fled their homes, leaving behind most of their belongings when the Sri Lankan army launched massive mortar and artillery barrage as it advanced towards Karippatta Murippu in October this year.