Two artillery-backed offensives by Sri Lanka’s elite Special Task Force (STF) against the Liberation Tigers in the Batticaloa and Amparai districts of the last week were repulsed after major clashes.
On Saturday (Nov 25) STF troop from Kanchirankuda and Sangamankandy camps in Amparai district launched an penetration raid towards Thangaveluathapuram in LTTE controlled part of the district.
Following stiff resistance put up by a guerrilla unit of the Tigers, the STF pulled back, local LTTE political official, Mr. Veeramani said.
Two LTTE fighters and four STF personnel were killed in the fighting, he said.
The LTTE cadres were named as Ilakkiyan, 24, a Sea Tiger and Jeyaprakash, 21.
The STF however said four Tigers had been killed for no STF losses. It said troops seized two T-56 automatic rifles, a pistol and a walkie-talkie when they advanced into LTTE area and launched an ambush on a LTTE position.
Residents said ambulances were observed carrying STF casualties towards Amparai town.
After pulling back, the STF also launched a mortar attack on LTTE Heroes Cemetary in Kanchchikudicha Aru.
A civilian was killed when the STF continued with heavy mortar fire towards Thangavelauthapuram. Residents fled the village following the STF shelling.
Sixteen years ago, on 23 July 1990, the SLA chased away more than a thousand Tamil families from the Tamil villages of Thangavelauthapuram, Sagamam, Kanchchikudicha Aru and Alikambai. After struggling in camps in Thirukkovil for nine years, the families returned to their villages in 1999.
On Thursday (Nov 23), seven STF troops were killed when the Tigers counter-attacked their unit which launched a ground movement towards the 38th Colony in Vellaveli, Batticaloa.
One LTTE cadre, Nathan, was also killed.
A 40 mm grenade launcher and a T-56 rifle were recovered after the battle by the Tigers.
The STF had advanced with heavy artillery and mortar fire support that claimed the life of a 15-year-old female student and wounded 5 civilians including her 2 sisters and a brother.
Kamalaharan Arulchelvi, 15 was killed when STF shells hit her house in Thikkodai, Vellaveli. Her siblings, Kamalaharan Nirusha, 07, Kamalaharan Kalaichelvi, 20, and Kamalaharan Arulrasa, 18, were wounded and were rushed to hospital
Two other women, Thangarasa Chandra, 38, and Kanapathipillai Pakyam, 65, were also wounded.
The victims had displaced from 39th Colony, inside LTTE territory, three months ago due to heavy shelling from the Sri Lankan military camps.
The STF, a specially trained and equipped unit of commandos drawn from the Sri Lankan Police, was initially developed and deployed for counter insurgency operations in the eastern province in the 1980s.
The growth of the LTTE's conventional military capabilities had impelled the STF during the Eelam War III to look beyond standard western counter insurgency doctrine and practice, with operational tasks in controlling government held areas in Amparai and Batticaloa districts, reports say.
