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Army, LTTE trade charges

B. Muralidhar Reddy

COLOMBO: At least four soldiers of the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) were killed in clashes even as the military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) continued to trade charges of unprovoked artillery fire. Sunday's claims and counter-claims in the east came amidst concern in the diplomatic community that the continuing hostilities may affect the proposed October 28-29 talks.

The army said in a statement based on "intelligence and other reliable sources" that in the past few days, the Tigers had stepped up their preparations for a military operation in Trincomalee district. Incidentally, late on Saturday night, the LTTE dashed off a letter to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) alleging massive troop mobilisation by the army targeting the Jaffna peninsula.

A spokesman for the SLMM, who confirmed receipt of complaints by the two sides on the supposed military preparations, said the mission was in no position to verify the ground situation due to its depleted strength and the surcharged atmosphere.

The charges levelled by the army against the LTTE assume significance as Trincomalee witnessed pitched battles between the two sides in August and September.

The LTTE said STF troops at the Kanjirankudah base intensified artillery fire towards areas controlled by it. "Civilians in the LTTE-controlled area were forced to flee and take refuge at safer locations," it said.

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