NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTION 99
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

150 Tigers killed in fierce battle for Elephant Pass

P Mohan Das in Colombo

More than 150 Tamil Tigers and 50 Sri Lankan soldiers were killed and hundreds injured in heavy fighting which is still raging near the Elephant Pass in the northern Jaffna pensinsula after the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam launched an attack early yesterday to capture the pensinsula from the army.

Military spokesman Palitha Fernado said two officers and 50 soldiers were killed in the last 36 hours of fighting. He said at least 275 soldiers were injured, 103 of them seriously.

The LTTE suffered heavy casualty in the action. The spokesman said that though the ground troops have estimated well over 150 casualties, the actual toll could be much more.

Continuing the overnight battle, he said, the LTTE tried to launch their cadres in three boats at 0800 hours local time today towards Chempiyanpattu. But the navy and the air force jointly thwarted the attempt and destroyed the boats.

The forces also destroyed enemy concentrations at Maruthankorni, Chempiyanpattu and Manmunai.

Again at 0920 hours, the army and navy detected seven enemy boats approaching Killay. The navy and armour engaged them and two boats were destroyed.

An hour later, a number of boats tried to land at Chempiyanpattu, but the navy repulsed that attempt too.

Fernado said troops are continuing search-and-clear operations in Weddukau near Pallai. Troops cleared most of the area and the enemy did not offer any resistance.

The spokesman said this morning that the Manmunai detachment came under heavy fire, as a result of which it was pulled back to prepare for an alternative position north of Chempiyanpattu.

Due to heavy firing at the gun positions near Pallai, three artillery guns were damaged and pulled back for repairs.

Pallai is just 10km from the strategic Elephant Pass, on the causeway leading to Jaffna.

Yesterday, the LTTE was able to cut off the 28km Elephant Pass-Jaffna main supply route for over 12 hours by securing control over Pallai. But army reinforcements from different directions mounted a counter attack and regained control over the road.

Forces at the Elephant Pass sector depend upon this route for their supplies and reinforcements in the event of a major attack on their southern, eastern or western sectors.

UNI

ALSO SEE THE SERIES:
India's Vietnam

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report