Army pulls back as LTTE puts up stiff resistance

By Nirupama Subramanian

COLOMBO, APRIL 28.As Sri Lanka's Health Ministry put out urgent appeals for blood to treat wounded soldiers, the Army today admitted that it had pulled back its troops to pre-offensive positions in the Jaffna peninsula to prevent further loss of life in the face of fierce resistance and counter-attacks by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

``Initially, troops very successfully advanced and captured the forward areas held by terrorists but due to very heavy artillery and mortar fired by the terrorists, troops were redeployed in the original defence line as preparation of the new defence line would have given little advantage but cost more in terms of lives,'' a Government release said.

The military launched an offensive on Wednesday code- named `Agni Khiela' or Fireball from right across the neck of the peninsula from Eluthumadduval, Muahamali and Nagarkovil.

Troops attempted to push south towards Pallai, the LTTE's forward line for Elephant Pass, but came up against stiff resistance from its cadres.

The Defence Ministry said 157 soldiers, including five officers, were killed and more than 800 wounded in the fighting. It said 400 of these had sustained minor injuries. Besides artillery and mortars, the LTTE had mined the area extensively, it said.

Stopping short of admitting total failure, the Government, in a bid to save face said it had not been the main objective of the offensive to bring more territory in Jaffna peninsula under its control. That had been the ``secondary'' aim.

The main aim was to pre-empt ``a major attack'' on the security forces by the LTTE that had armed itself during its unilateral truce for this purpose, and the `Agni Khiela', had achieved this objective, the statement asserted.

Defending its decision to launch the operation, the Government said it was ``timely'' as the LTTE deployment had posed ``an immediate major threat'' to the military's forward positions at Eluthumadduval and Muhamalai.

``In view of the weapons system and the facilities they had brought to the Elephant Pass sector, it was obvious that the LTTE was poised to launch a major operation,'' it said.

The Government estimated that 190 LTTE cadres were killed and over 400 wounded in the fighting. ``Actual figures are not available but presumed to be very high as they utilised most of their cadres (to resist the operation),'' it said in its release.

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Section  : International
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