The Hindu : Front Page : Sri Lankan Army faces fierce resistance

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 01, 2006

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Sri Lankan Army faces fierce resistance

B. Muralidhar Reddy

The bloodiest battle between LTTE and the army since the signing of the ceasefire agreement

COLOMBO: At least 42 persons were feared dead on Monday in the first ground battle between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), since the 2002 Norwegian brokered ceasefire agreement (CFA).

LTTE shot off a letter to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) asking for declaration of ceasefire as invalid on the plea that ground battle initiated by SLA in the Tamil Tigers controlled area in the east to end blockade of a waterway was a gross violation of the CFA. However, the SLMM chief, Ulf Henricsson told Colombo based foreign correspondents that the mission was not prepared to terminate the ceasefire.

Contrasting claims

"Under the CFA it is for either of the parties to call off the ceasefire with a 14 day advanced notice and both parties claim they are sticking to it."

The projected death toll, in what is considered as the bloodiest battle in the last four years, is based on claims and counter claims by the Government and the LTTE. Neither the SLMM nor any other independent observers have had access to the site of fighting.

The SLA conceded late in the evening that the operation to lift the water blockade has proved to be tougher than expected. "The fierce resistance posed by LTTE terrorists with mortars and small arms fire against forward marching of the Government troops, has so far claimed the lives of six soldiers at the time this report was filed.

However, retaliatory fire of the Security Forces, assisted by Air Force aerial attacks pounded against the terrorists bringing their death toll to at least 30 - 35, according to the latest reports", the military said.

TamilNet said SLA began moving ground troops through three fronts from two SLA bases towards Mavil Aaru sluice in the morning, supported by Multi-Barrel Rocket Launchers, artillery fire and aerial bombardment from Kfir and MIG jets. Three LTTE cadres were killed and two wounded, it quoted the LTTE spokesman as saying and said based on "informed defence sources in Colombo" that 12 SLA troopers were killed.

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