Kaddaparichchan brought under Forces control

Ranil Wijayapala

TRINCOMALEE: Troops engaged in the operation to neutralise LTTE artillery and mortar gun positions in Sampur yesterday brought Kaddaparichchan, a stronghold for mortar and artillery gun positions of the LTTE, under their full control, Military Spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said.

According to military sources ground troops moved towards the Kaddaparichchan area after neutralising the gun positions using heavy artillery and mortars.

LTTE gun positions were located ahead of the Kaddaparichchan Army camps in the South of Trincomalee which came under an LTTE attack in the early hours of August 1.

The Air Force also took identified LTTE targets in Iranamadu in Kilinochchi and Sampur area yesterday too, a spokesman for the Media Centre for National Security told the Daily News.

"Ground troops after giving stiff resistance through volumes of terrorist fire finally physically neutralised their fire power positions after completely forcing the terrorists to flee the area of Kaddaparichchan vacating their positions," the MCNS said in a statement.

"The ground troops are further consolidating their positions while clearing the area of booby traps, landmines and other explosive devices," it further said.

According to information the ground troops engaged in the operations are facing heavy resistance from fleeing LTTE cadres but are determinedly facing those attacks to neutralise LTTE gun positions.

Meanwhile, military sources confirmed that the LTTE had buried 92 bodies of their cadres in two locations at Kadirveli and Vakarai.

"Ground troops have also have observed 27 LTTE bodies lying ahead of Selvanagar," Brigadier Samarasinghe added.

Since Monday, 14 soldiers were reported killed and 92 others sustained injuries in the confrontation.