ARMY HAS RECOVERED 730 T56 ASSAULT RIFLES ABONDENED BY THE FLEEING TIGERS IN THE EASTERN PROVINCE

By Walter Jayawardhana

The army searching and clearing operations were able to recover 78 T-56 assault rifles in the Ichchalampattu area and 28 T-56 assault rifles in the Vakarai area ,Saturday February 17, Defense ministry sources said.

According to army sources in the Eastern Province the Army has recovered 730 T-56 assault rifles in total so far abandoned by the fleeing Tamil Tigers with the fall of their strongholds in the area.
Army sources further revealed a large number of weapons have been abandoned by the Tamil Tigers because more than 700 of them have died during the battles to keep their strongholds in the Eastern Province in their hands unsucessfully.

The Defense ministry sources said during the search and clearing operations by the Sri Lanka Army in the Ichchalampattu area apart from the T-56 assault rifles 37 RPG rockets, 38 RPG charges, 2 gun mountings, one 12.7 tripod, 800 12.7 rounds, 295 .50 rounds, ten boxes of Bangalore torpedoes, one kilogram of C4 explosives, 140 T-56 magazines, and seven outboard motors have been recovered.

Defense Ministry sources said The Army units are also clearing the areas of booby traps, land mines and anti-personnel mines to prepare the area for the civilians to come back and settledown.
On Saturday the troops also recovered apart from the T-56 s a RPG launcher from Vakarai area.