Navy foils Tiger attack in Kayts

Rafik Jalaldeen

JAFFNA: The Navy foiled an LTTE attack killing a terrorist and injuring three others in Puliyankandal, Kayts island on Sunday evening. A cache of arms and weapons were recovered in a subsequent search operation, the Media Centre for the National Security said.

According to Military Spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe following information received a team of sailors ambushed a group of four LTTE cadres. In the fire fight that followed the Navy killed a Tiger cadre and severely injured three others.

The incident occurred at around 7.30 p.m. on Sunday at Puliyankandal in the Kayts island. "A sailor succumbed to his injuries in the clash", he added.

The sailors conducted a search operation in the area soon after the incident and observed bloodstains at the location from where the LTTE cadres attacked the sailors, the Brigadier said.

"We believe that the LTTE cadres were preparing to launch an attack and their attempt was foiled by Naval personnel. The sailors also uncovered arms and ammunition from the fleeing terrorists", he added.

In a subsequent search operation the sailors recovered a body of a LTTE cadre, two T56 assault rifles, seven hand grenades, six T56 magazines, three code sheets, a pouch, three LTTE back packs, three T56 tool kits, a cyanide capsule and an LTTE identification tag.

The dead LTTE terrorist has been identified as Mankuil alias Gnasekaran Dayalan. Meanwhile, the Security Forces recovered a large stock of 82mm mortars on information given by a civilian in the Verugal area in Trincomalee yesterday. The bombs were concealed by the LTTE.

The Security Forces recovered 597 of 82mm mortars and three anti tank mines in the search operation.

The Brigadier said the stock of 82mm mortars and anti tank mines were abandoned by the LTTE terrorists when fleeing from the Forces' onslaught.