Army, LTTE locked in fresh clashes in Wanni

Colombo, Sept 01: Fresh clashes erupted between the Sri Lankan military and the Tamil Tiger rebels in the northern Vavuniya district, when government troops broke out from their Forward Defences, west of Omanthai entry/exit point, aiming to destroy 'a direct LTTE offensive preparation', Defence Ministry here said.

The ground troops launched a multi pronged attack successfully, dislodging LTTE attempts to mobilise artillery and mortar launching pads, in a distance of military defences, the Ministry said.

''Loses to LTTE are yet to be confirmed though, it was estimated to be over a dozen,'' it said, adding that the LTTE attempts to military defences have been repelled in this preemptive operation.

During the operation to respond in defence against hostile threat against the FDLs, the Ministry said ''few army service members were slightly wounded.'' Meanwhile, pro-LTTE websites claimed that the rebels have ''successfully repulsed a military advancement'' backed by heavy artillery and mortar shelling at Vilathikkulam, a village in the Vavuniya-Mannar border today.

According to the pro-LTTE puthinam.com website, the fighting that erupted at 8.30 by local time in the morning has lasted till the afternoon.

Claiming that the rebels have captured a dead body of a government soldier along with few military items, it said one LTTE cadre was also killed during the fighting.

UNI