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PRESS RELEASE
LTTE Headquarters LTTE FIGHTING UNITS OVERRUN AND CAPTURE MANKULAM, KARUPADDAMURIPPU, OLUMADU TOWNS In a massive wave of offensive thrust the commando units of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) overran Mankulam town today killing and wounding hundreds of Sri Lankan soldiers. Mankulam town heavily fortified and strategically situated on the A9 highway, 30 kilometers from Vavuniya, fell to the LTTE after several hours of intensive fighting which began in the early hours of this morning. Unable to confront the fierce onslaught of the LTTE fighters, who penetrated the defense front lines using heavy motor fire, the Sri Lankan military personnel who manned the military complex at Mankulam fled in total disarray. Hundreds of dead bodies of soldiers are scattered in the battlefields at Mankulam, Olumadu, Karapaddamurippu and Ampakamam. In the early hours of the morning today Karupaddamurippu military base and Olamadu army camp fell to the LTTE after twenty-four hours of intense fighting. The fall of these strategically located towns sealed the fate of the garrison town of Mankulam which was exposed to LTTE offensive thrust from the east, west and north. With the fall of Mankulam, the LTTE fighting formations are sweeping southwards along the A9 highway pounding heavy artillery and mortar fire on Sri Lankan defense positions at Kanagarayankulam and Pulliyankulam. Surprised and demoralized by the swift and ferocious offensive thrust by the LTTE in which strategically crucial towns are falling one after the other, the Sri Lankan troops are fleeing towards Vavuniya deserting their posts. Over one thousand troops have been killed and double that number injured during the last four days of heavy fighting. In this offensive campaign of the LTTE code-named 'Unceasing Waves 3' 82 LTTE fighters have been killed so far. Since the Sri Lankan military establishment and the State have, for political reasons, refused permission to the ICRC to accept the bodies of demised soldiers, the LTTE fighters have been cremating the dead soldiers with military honors. (Released by the International Secretariat of LTTE, 211 Katherine Rd, |