Kokavil liberated

*Key town on A9
*LTTE strongholds destroyed
*Regained after

18 years

KOKAVIL: Troops att-ached to the 57 Division yesterday took control of Kokavil, a key town on the A-9 road in the south of Kilinochchi after advancing three Kilometres southwards from Murikandi, Military sources the Daily News yesterday.

The troops attached to 574 Brigade under the command of Lt. Colonel Senaka Wijesuriya reached this important milestone after capturing this town which has gone into military history with the supreme sacrifice made by Lieutenant Aladeniya after fearlessly fighting the LTTE to defend the Kokavil camp and TV tower in 1990.

He was posthumously conferred Parama Weera Vibushana, the highest gallantry award for the sacrifices made by the Security Forces in the battlefront.

The troops attached to 8 and 10 Sri Lanka Light Infantry and 16 Sinha Regiment contributed to capture this town. “It was after 18 years that troops regained control of Kokavil town on the A-9 road,” a senior military official added.

“With the capture of Kokavil town troops have taken full control of the A-9 road from Murikandi in the south of Kilinochchi to Mankulam junction”, a senior military official told the Daily News.

Earlier troops attached to the Task Force III launched their operation from the north east of Mankulam cleared the A-9 road upto the strategic junction town of Mankulam after capturing the Mankulam town. Following the capture of the Kokavil town the 57 Division troops have also taken the control of the areas in the East of A-9 road after advancing their defence line towards the Eastern edge of the Iranamadu tank area, sources added.

The troops of the 57 Division troops achieved this victory after fighting the LTTE amidst floods after a heavy downpour in the Wanni during last week.