SLA soldier killed in bomb blast

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 December 1997, 23:59 GMT]
A soldier from the bomb disposal squad of the Sri Lankan army's Third Brigade HQ in Batticaloa town was killed around 12. 20 a.m. midnight in Kattankudy - the large Muslim town four miles south of Batticaloa.

This followed an attack last night by the Liberation Tigers on the Sri Lankan Police detachment at Manchanthoduvai, a suburb of Batticaloa town on the border with Kattankudy.

The Police detachment came under attack around 10.30 p.m. said residents.

The Police claimed that the Liberation Tigers had launched the attack from three directions and they had recovered a T 81 assault rifle left behind by the LTTE after the assault was over.

The Police said that the LTTE group which attacked the Manchanthoduvaai had planted the bomb to blow up the Kattankudy telephone exchange facility while retreating.

The bomb went off before the soldier identified as K. Ranaweera could defuse it said sources.

The Police said that they found another bomb in a torchlight near the exchange when the area was searched this morning.