DEATH TOLL AMONG TAMIL TIGERS RISE TO 13 AS AIR FORCE MIGS AND KFIRS BOMB NA’RAKAMULLA BARRACKS AT THOPPIGALA

By Walter Jayawardhana

Intercepted radio messages of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) revealed that the death toll among them due to the air raids by the Sri Lanka Air Force among their cadres has now risen to 13 including four senior cadres.

“Two senior LTTE intelligence leaders Vendran and Illakkian who were seriously injured in the air strikes on identified Tiger terrorist targets in Na‘rakamulla, Thoppigala yesterday (12) had succumbed to their injuries, intelligence sources confirmed today (13)” the Defense Ministry sources said.

According to the same sources eight LTTE fighters died immediately by the air raid on the LTTE garrison at Na’rakamulla , Thoppigala also known as Barron’s Hat in the deep jungles of Ampara District, West of Batticaloa.

Early intelligence reports confirmed that a military training instructor and an intelligence chief were among the dead immediately after the bombing of the terrorist garrisons.

The bombing raids were carried on for the second day on March 13 at 10.30 by Israeli made Kfir jets and Russian made Mig27 supesonic jets pounding on selected military sites of intelligence units and training bases, the Sri lanka air Force said in a statement.

Intelligence sources said a large number of LTTE cadres have been injured in the attacks in the second raid but did not reveal the number of dead.

The rebels also known as the Tamil Tigers confirmed the air raid, but denied any casualties were sustained.

"Yes, there was some air movement and some sort of bombing, but we suffered no casualties. The report is negative," spokesman Rasiah Ilantheriyan (Marshal) said from Kilinochchi, the de-facto rebel heaquarters in the north.

The LTTE customarily deny any casualty in Sri Lanka Air Force raids among their cadres or say only civilians died by the bombs.

The Thoppigala camp serves as a major training base for the Tamil Tigers. It is considered one of the last major LTTE redoubts in the east, as Sri Lankan forces have carried out several ground and air attacks over the past year and captured territory. After the fall of Thoppigala many LTTE cadres are thought to have escaped to the Thoppigala camps.