Army Springs Another Surprise, Opens New Front West of A9; Task Force 11 Advance on New Targets, Tigers Retreat

With the offensive on the Vanni front reaching a decisive stage, the army has opened a new front west of the Jaffna-Kandy road.

While the 57 Division stepped up pressure on the LTTE holding on to Periyamadhu, about 16 kilometres north of Madhu, the newly created Task Force 11 would advance northwards. Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said the Task Force 11 would be on the eastern flank of the 57 Division and west of the A9 road.

Fielding questions, Nanayakkara said that while the 57 Division and Task Force 11 would advance on the LTTE-held territory, the newly created 61 Division would be deployed on a holding role in areas captured by the 57 Division. The 57 Division had regained about 600 square kilometres since it launched operations last year.

Nanayakkara said troops had made significant progress on the Vanni and Weli Oya fronts. The operations conducted by Task Force 11 would hasten the collapse of the LTTE on the Vanni west, the official said, asserting the LTTE wouldn’t be able to resist the army on three different fronts in the area west of the A9 road.

The Task Force 1 on the Mannar front has advanced upto Adampan and on Tuesday (25) brought a further three square kilometre area in the general area Adampan under control. SLAF spokesman Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara said Mi 24 helicopter gunships had engaged an LTTE bunker line north east of Anandakulam Tuesday at 6.30 pm. The Mi 24s struck in support of the Task Force 1 about 45 minutes after jets launched from Katunayake air base bombed an LTTE training facility north of Oddusudan, he said.

Read more,
http://www.army.lk/morenews.php?id=14141