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Sri Lanka wrests control of Nachchikuda

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Thursday claimed the military captured yet another ‘major strongpoint’ of the LTTE, Nachchikuda on the northwestern coast, amid reports of fierce battles.

A Defence Ministry statement said Task Force-1 soldiers marched towards Nachchikuda from three directions, destroying and capturing vital LTTE positions. “The troops of three military battle formations, the one which cut-off Mannar-Poonaryn (A-32) Road from the south Pallawarayankaddu area, moved along the A-32, the other marched northwards from south of Nachchikuda, and the third formation along the northeastern flank advanced towards Nachchikuda and captured Jeyapuram. They have entered Nachchikuda and gained total control over the area breaching the Nachchikuda’s complete length of the well-fortified LTTE Forward Defence Line (FDL),” said the Ministry.

It said intense fighting was reported in the area from October 17 and the LTTE suffered heavy casualties. “The LTTE terrorists, who were unable to secure their stronghold, have withdrawn from the area as the security forces intensified their military thrust into Nachchikuda,” it said.

Separately, the Air Force claimed it bombed an ‘LTTE female suicide squad training facility’ in Vallipuram, northwest of Puthukkudiyirippu in Mullathivu district on Thursday morning.

“Armoured vehicles mounted with anti-aircraft guns were observed rushing to the target site following the attack. This was a site frequented by the LTTE’s intelligence wing chief, Pottu Amman, who is also in-charge of the training facility,” it said.

It also claimed at the time of the raid, the LTTE cadre were conducting a practice session involving a large number of female cadre. Earlier, on September 27, a similar air-strike was launched at the ’‘main LTTE female suicide training base’ at Rathnapuram in Kilinochchi.

Meanwhile, the military denied reports of an alleged blockade on the supply of oxygen cylinders to hospitals in the LTTE-held territory. “Those pro-LTTE mouthpieces as usual have meticulously, but shamelessly wanted to interpret a single isolated detection that took place on October 23 at Omanthai to their own advantage, blowing it out of proportion,” it said.

The pro-LTTE TamilNet in a report on its website alleged that a 29-year-old man was killed in Iraththinapuram, a suburb south of Kilinochchi on Wednesday, when the Army launched an artillery barrage.

Meanwhile, in a press release issued here, the Foreign Ministry said the Australian Senate has passed a resolution condemning the LTTE suicide bomb attack in Anuradhapura on October 6 in which 28 people were killed, including the former Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Australia, Major-General (retd.) Janaka Perera, and his wife.

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