FORTIFICATIONS DESTROYED BY THE SRI LANKA ARMY DESCRIBED AS THE BEGINNING OF THE END

By Walter Jayawardhana

Advancing troops of the Sri Lanka Army demolished the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam stronghold of Panichchankerni , North of Batticaloa town of the Eastern Province killing more than 30 guerillas.

The fall of Panichchankerni was hailed as the beginning of the end of the Tamil Tigers In the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka, where they were rapidly withdrawing from more than 14 garrisons in the adjacent district of Ampara in the same province unable to to face advancing elite police commandos of the Special Task Force.

In capturing the coastal Panichchankerni the army lost 4 soldiers while twenty others received minor injuries. Sri Lanka Army said The LTTE fled leaving behind a large quantity of arms and ammunition at Panichchankerni. The army took over the third forward defense line of the LTTE.

Before taking Panichchankerni, the Sri lanka Army demolished Strategic fortifications of LTTE terrorists at Ichchalampaththu and Uppural, the army said . The fortifications fell as SL forces advanced responding to the volume of LTTE artillery and mortar barrages in the East. In taking that the army lost an officer.

Seven LTTE terrorist bodies were recovered, at Ichchalmpattu and Uppural while over two dozens were believed wounded, said a military official.

January 16 in the morning the Army saw a gathering of forces at Verugal and made a pre-emptive attack on it to neutralize it. Amidst troops advancement, the Tigers fled that position. Another attack by Tigers to regroup and attack the army was blasted when the army captured the third defense forward line of the Tigers at Panichchankerni.

Three mortar positions of the LTTE were completely destroyed by the Sri lanka Air Force.
The Army said they are now consolidating all areas captured.