Fighting on Jaffna lagoon coast

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 February 2000, 11:37 GMT]
Fighting erupted between the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lanka army (SLA) in several parts of the Jaffna lagoon’s coast in the early hours of the morning around three a.m. today. Confrontations between the Tigers and the SLA were reported in Thanagkilappu, Arukuveli and Kerathivu, south east of Jaffna town on the lagoon coast.

Both sides had exchanged mortar and gun fire for more than half an hour sources in Jaffna said. No further details about the fighting were available until this afternoon. The SLA has been engaged in operations since last month to dislodge units of the Liberation Tigers that are active in this area.

In a move unprecedented since it took control of the peninsula in 1996, the SLA had to call for air strikes against entrenched LTTE positions southeast of Jaffna town last week.

The Tiger have repeatedly engaged the SLA in Thanangilappu and Kerathivu since December 11, 1999. The strategic causeway and ferry linking the peninsula with the mainland at Pooneryn is at Kerathivu.