Forces capture Visuamadu, Chalai

LTTE held area shrinks to 200 sq. km:

Ranil WIJAYAPALA

Security Forces engaged in the final phase of its battle against the LTTE further bottled in the Tiger cadres into a limited area with troops taking full control of Visuamadu and the LTTE’s last Sea Tiger base Chalai in the North of Mullaitivu, Military officials told the Daily News yesterday.

According to military sources troops attached to the 55 Division under the command of Brigadier Prasanna Silva took control of the last Sea Tiger base after five days of fighting and killing top rung Sea Tiger leader Vinayagam and four other leaders in fierce battles, military officials added.

With the capture of the Chalai Sea Tiger Base, Security Forces have been able to reduce the coastal area under Tiger control to less than 15 kilometres.

According to military sources, four Tiger leaders including third in command of the Sea Tiger wing Vinayagam and four other leaders including Pallawan, Cader, Sinnakannan, Annavelan and at least a dozen more Sea Tiger cadres were killed in the ensuing battle.

The Sea Tiger leaders have been killed as they tried to stop the advance of the troops by launching an attack on the ground troops, launching five fast attack craft, sources added.

Sources also added that the Tiger leaders had attempted to stop the advance of the troops sending suicide cadres into the Security Forces defences.

”Soldiers have clearly seen that the Tigers have deployed a girl aged 13 to 14 years to the Forward Defence Line as if she was going to surrender to the Security Forces.

But she blew herself up once the troops challenged her and stopped her before she reached the Security Forces defences”, a military official added.

Meanwhile, troops attached to the 57 Division under the command of Major General Jagath Dias also completed the task of taking full control of Visuamadu area with 572 Brigade under the command of Colonel Senerath Bandara and 574 Brigade under the command of Lt. Colonel Senaka Wijesuriya taking the southern part of Visvamadu.

The 58 Division under the command of Brigadier Shavendra Silva took full control of the Visuamadu North in the North of A-35 road.

”Both 57 and 58 Divisions recovered large hauls of weapons, Tiger camps, hospitals and hideouts of the Tiger leaders during the search operations conducted by the troops during the past few days,” officials added.

With the capture of Visuamadu and Chalai, Security Forces have been able to confine the LTTE to an area less than 200 square kilometres.

”In actual terms they have been confined to 16 by 6 kilometres area in the Mullaitivu district,” a senior military official said.

Now LTTE has been left with only areas in the North, East and West of Puthukuduyiruppu.