HEAVY FIGHTING REPORTED AMIDST TOUGH RESISTANCE BY THE LTTE TO PREVENT SRI LANKA ARMY TROOPS FROM OPENING MAVIL ARU SLUICE GATES
(By Walter Jayawardhana)
Los Angeles:- Sri Lankan troops were fighting their way through heavy resistance in their advance to open the closed sluice gates of the Mavil Aru irrigation canal that had been closed by the terrorists of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), both Sri Lanka government and terrorist sources said.
The Sri Lankan troops advancing clearly with the limited military goal of opening the closed irrigation canal had to kill 35 LTTE terrorists while losing seven of their own men, including two officers in heavy resistance, Sri Lanka Army sources said.
The same sources said the troops advanced while being , “fired upon heavily by Tiger mortars and small arms.” In a statement issued at 7.17 p.m. July 31 Sri Lanka time(11.47 GMT) the Army sources said, “at least two army officers along with five other soldiers who were on ‘Mission Water Shed’ in Mavilaru, Trincomalee today (31) were feared dead at the fierce gun battle that broke out during broad day light with LTTE terrorists.
Another officer and twelve soldiers suffered injuries and they have been rushed for treatments.”
The Sri Lanka Army sources further said, “Troops retaliated with the assistance of Air force and Artillery to reach the sluice gate with the intention of ensuring this much needed humanitarian aid to the civilians.” The army effort was also supported by the Special Task Force of the police.
The LTTE controlled Tamil Net said the Sri Lankan offensive to open the closed irrigation canal was “supported by Multi - Barrel Rocket Launcher, artillery fire and aerial bombardment from Kfir and MIG jets towards Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam controlled area in Mavil Aaru.”
Reports said due to the tension created by heavy fighting all schools and shops and schools in the Serunuwara area have been closed.
The Tamil Net website put the number of deaths on the side of the LTTE as three and the number injured as two.
The army officer and 12 soldiers injured were first admitted to Serunuwara government hospital and transferred to Polonnaruwa hospital, unconfirmed reports said.
In statements issued earlier the Sri Lanka Army sources said their march towards Mavil Aru was made slower by two reasons or considerations: “Security forces engaged in the mission to open the sluice gates of the Mavil Aru anicut (slice gates) are now closing in on their objective in spite of the minefields previously laid by the LTTE . Progress is also delayed due to the villages consisting of all communities which live in the area surrounding the (sluice gates)”
The latest crises wanting a military offensive arose after, 12 days ago, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) closed the sluice gates of an irrigation canal that takes water from Mavil Aru, a tributary of Mahaveli Ganga shutting off water from about 35,000 acres of farmland affecting at least 45,000 people.
