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Lankan army makes up for setback by capturing Mankulam from LTTE

Sri Lankan troops today captured the key northern township of Mankulam from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the military announced.

A military statement said Mankulam town on the Vavuniya- Killinochchi highway fell to advancing troops at 9 am. The rebels had held the heavily fortified town since January, despite repeated assaults by troops to capture it.

Heavy fighting raged around Mankulam, about 45 km north of the government-controlled Vavuniya town, yesterday and the military reported that over 100 guerrillas and troopers were killed.

The statement said ''terrorists'' had suffered ''heavy casualties'' when the troops took Mankulam, but did not give details.

The military had launched a massive offensive in May 1997 to capture the 75-kilometre highway from the guerrillas to open a land route to Jaffna peninsula.

But the troops' advance had been stalled at Mankulam, an important road unction, due to stiff resistance from the rebels.

Military analysts said the capture of Mankulam was small consolation for the loss of the bigger and more strategic Killinochchi town, 30 kilometres northwards.

The military said more than 200 soldiers and 377 Tigers were killed in and around Killinochchi in three days of fighting that started Sunday.

Informed sources in Madras said Killinochchi, the former LTTE political headquarters which fell to the troops in September 1996, was now under the control of the rebels.

The military statement said security forces were going ahead with their operational plans and were currently consolidating in Mankulam.

''Mankulam is the town that connects up Mullaitivu in the eastern side and Mannar and Jaffna road from the west,'' it said.

UNI

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