Sporadic Vanni fighting - SLA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 September 1998, 23:12 GMT]
Sri Lankan Army (SLA) conducted search operations in the Ambakamam and Kunchikkulam Forwards Defence Localities (FDL) and recovered 127 anti-personnel mines set by the Liberation Tigers, claimed Brigadier Tennekoon at the weekly cabinet press briefing held today.

Five Tigers were killed in these sectors by army snipers, he added.

Speaking further, he said that government troops killed 4 Tigers in another operation in this area.

Two soldiers were killed and five were wounded in this fighting.

During the week, the SLA, according to the spokesman, conducted limited operations in Paranthan east and Kilinochchi, killing five Tigers. Three soldiers were wounded and troops recovered 2 T56 rifles, 6 magazines, 5 grenades and 5 canteens, he said.

The military spokesman said that the Lanka Muditha, the passenger ship ferrying displaced Tamil civilians from Trincomalee to Jaffna, has transported 3686 displaced persons back to Jaffna on Sept. 3, Sept.6 and today.

He said the ship would take another 1130 persons belonging to 371 families tomorrow from Trincomalee to Kankesanthurai in Jaffna.

Brigadier Tennekoon said that the bomb that killed the Jaffna Mayor and others on Sept.11 was a 10 kilogram explosive device, 18 by 20 inches in dimension and had been set in place the day before the blast. The high explosives had consisted of five slabs he said.