We are now quite close to Kilinochchi - Army Chief

Army Commander Lt. General Sarath Fonseka yesterday said that Kilinochchi will certainly be the next target of the Security Forces as all the gates were opened for Wanni and Kilinochchi liberation with the regaining of Thunukkai and Uyilankulam, two of the most tactically important towns west of Mullaitivu district.

“Mallavi located just two kilometres east of Thunukkai will also fall very soon with the capture of Thunukkai,” Army Commander Lt. General Fonseka told the Daily News last night.

Currently troops are operating just two Kilometres southwest of Mallavi. Thunukkai and Mallavi are among the most favoured hideouts of the Tiger leader Prabhakaran as these two towns provide much needed luxurious facilities for his clandestine life.

“The Security Forces will be in a much advantageous position in the Wanni liberation once we capture both Thunukkai and Mallavi towns. Troops can either move towards Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi or towards Omanthai,” the Commander added.

The Army Commander said the Security Forces have so far have performed exceptionally well in the liberation of Wanni and the North and added that they will be able to achieve the next steps of liberation of the North very soon fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the Government and also of patriotic citizens.

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Army takes commanding position west of A-9 bags Tunukkai, eyes Mallavi, Mankulam under threat

The LTTE yesterday abandoned Tunukkai on the Vanni front as the army brought the strategically important area west of the A9 road under its control.

The withdrawal came after three weeks of fierce fighting between the 57 Division and LTTE units spearheaded by the elite Charles Anthony ‘Brigade.’ The SLAF over the past few weeks engaged a range of LTTE targets in the area to facilitate the ground assault. The elite Special Forces troops assigned to the 57 Command had played a pivotal role in the fightng, the military said. The military acknowledged that the battle for Tunukkai had the toughest confrontation faced by the 57 Division commanded by Major General Jagath Dias in the recent past.

After failing to breakthrough LTTE positions south of Tunukkai, the army on Thursday had pushed towards the town from their positions west and north of the town situated halfway along the Mankulam-Vellankulam road.

The 57 Division had secured Madhu, Palampiddi, Mundumurippu, Periyamadhu, Naddakandal, Chiradikkulam and Kalvilan areas before its latest success..

Army headquarters said that ground operations on the western front had reached a critical stage with troops taking a commanding position against LTTE fortifications along the A9 road between Omanthai and Mankulam.

Senior military officials said the Task Force I on the Kilinochchi front, 57 Division on the Mullaitivu front and Task Force II advancing northwards on the right flank of the 57 Division and west of the A9, had taken the upper hand in the overall campaign in the Vanni west.

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Tunukkai, Uyilankulam & South of Akkarayankulam Tank Fall under Valiant Troops after 25 Years

THE MUCH-TALKED TERRORIST stronghold, TUNUKKAI, about 20 km west of MANKULAM, one more central connecting village, UYILANKULAM, and also the southern edge of the AKKARAYANKULAM tank, about 12 km to the southwest of KILINOCHCHI town centre were finally brought under government troops as dawn fell on Friday (22) bringing a humiliating defeat for the terror outfit that has been ranked as the most ruthless, the Army Headquarters announced.

This is the first time in the history of the so-called “Eelam War” Sri Lankan troops dominated these areas striking a major blow to the LTTE terrorist outfit which has murdered thousands of innocent civilians, politicians, democrats, intellectuals, statesmen, members of the Armed Forces and the Police.

Agriculturally-rich TUNUKKAI, one of the nerve centres of Tiger outfit was serving as a major administrative hub responsible for coordination of all Sea Tiger attacks, deployment of LTTE terrorists, distribution of armaments, planning of clandestine operations, abduction and evacuation of civilians from different venues, etc for the past few years. This terrorist stronghold became busily operational after the recent fall of notoriously famous Sea Tiger base, VIDATTALTTIVU which was earlier regarded as a “no-entry zone” by Tigers.

UYILANKULAM, another farming village that lies between the southern edge of the AKKARAYANKULAM tank was also dominated by Tigers. It functioned as a secret transit location for their operations, since it is situated quite close to their administrative financial hub, KILINOCHCHI and other important locations.

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SLAF fighters pound LTTE logistic base - Mullaittiuvu

Sri Lanka Air Force fighter jets pounded LTTE logistic base located at Vishwamadu in Mullaittiuvu District this morning, 22 August.

Air Force spokesperson, Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara speaking to defence.lk said that the targeted LTTE base was identified as one of the main LTTE's logistic facilities containing vehicle spare parts and other combat items adding that it is located in general area Dharmapuram, 5Km north of Vishwamadu tank in Mullaittiuvu district.

The air sorties were carried out around 9.30 AM and the Air Force confirmed that targeted LTTE base was destroyed completely.

Meanwhile, SLAF MI-24 helicopters launched an air raid targeting the LTTE defence line located 17 Km north-west of Thunukkai in general area south of Wannerikulam tank, Kilinochchi District around 6.30 AM today. The air bombardment carried out in support of ground troops of Task Force 1 advancing northwards in Wanni liberating offensive, Air Force spokesperson added.

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Suicide Jacket materials found in Colombo – Bomb found in Kandy

Accessories used to assemble suicide jackets were found hidden in the premises of a Catholic church in Olcott Mawatha in Pettah, by the security forces this morning, (22), Ministry of Defence said.

The recovery was made on information provided by a civilian around 8.50 am. The materials included detonators, switches and a few other items that had been concealed inside the St. Phillip Nerish Church in Pettah, in Colombo.

These items also included five remote antennas.

Meanwhile Kandy Police conducting a search operation on a tip off have uncovered a bomb weighing around 1 kg from the Balagolla area, a suburb in Kandy.

The bomb, containing gelignite sticks and C-4 high explosive, had been hidden in a sand mound near a privately owned residence in the Balagolla area, sources said.

The Army bomb disposal team later defused the bomb, sources added.

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Sri Lanka government accuses LTTE of conscripting civilians to fight

Sri Lanka government today accused the LTTE of conscripting civilians to fight the troops advancing into the Tiger controlled areas as their numbers dwindle due to the fighting.

The government said the LTTE leadership has directed their cadres to forcibly conscript civilians who had no battle training and use them as a buffer between the LTTE and the troops marching into the terrorist stronghold in the Wanni.

The government further said “the LTTE seeks to use civilians as a human shield so that in the event of casualties the organization can plead to what has been a largely unsympathetic world that there is a 'humanitarian catastrophe'.”

The human rights group, Amnesty International, recently slammed the LTTE for breaking international law by using civilians as a buffer against government forces.

Human right groups and the United Nations have repeatedly accused the Tigers of recruiting child soldiers and sending them to the frontlines.

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Sri Lanka ready to hold Champions Trophy

With the ICC finding it tough to convince apprehensive cricketers on touring Pakistan for next month's Champions Trophy, Sri Lanka today said it was ready to hold the tournament even at a short notice.

"We are ready to hold the Champions Trophy as we are the alternate venue for the tournament," Sri Lanka Cricket Chief Executive Duleep Mendis said.

"We are in a position to hold the Champions Trophy as Sri Lankais the alternative venue for the ICC event," he added.

SLC officials feel that all the grounds are in good condition as the Indian cricket tour is currently on in Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, a meeting took place on Wednesday at the ICC's offices in Dubai to discuss the preparations for the Champions Trophy The event, which is scheduled from September 11 to 28, is facing an uncertain future after Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand, raised concerns over touring Pakistan due to the security situation.

This is despite the ICC taking a decision on July 24 to hold the championship in Pakistan after getting assurance offull security to the players.

Yesterday's meeting at Dubai discussed feedback from task team briefings with stakeholders from England, Australia and New Zealand.

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