60 soldiers killed and 150 wounded in LTTE counter offensive

by admin
Dec 23, 2008

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) mounted their first counter-offensive against Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Vanni battlefront killing at least 60 soldiers and wounding another 150, according LTTE officials.

 

LTTE counter-offensive units carried out a preemptive strike on SLA offensive formation in Murikandi - Iranaimadu area Saturday, December 20, pushing back the SLA 2 km and recovering the bodies of 12 soldiers.

 

The preemptive strike was carried out as the SLA was preparing for another offensive push, according to LTTE officials.

The first LTTE-claimed preemptive strike comes in the wake of SLA suffering three debacles within the last few weeks in Kilinochchi.

 

Sunday Times newspaper columnist, Iqbal Athas, reporting on the LTTE counter-offensive wrote: “heavy fighting broke out after guerrillas launched a counter attack on troop positions at a point between Terumurukandi and Iranamadu. The location is east of Adampan.”

 

"The [LTTE fighters] attacked in four waves, one after another," a high-ranking military officer speaking on grounds of anonymity told Sunday Times.

 

"There were several close quarter battles where the [LTTE fighters] used small arms and machine gun fire. In others, mortars began to rain in. It was a mortar monsoon." The officer further told the newspaper.

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