Clashes continue in Northern front

At least 5 members of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed in clashes along the northern Forward Defence Lines (FDL) which occurred today (7th). Five soldiers who sustained injuries were evacuated to Palaly military hospital. At least 10 LTTE cadres too were reported to be injured. Fighting which broke out at 5.00 am continued for nearly 45 minutes.

Meanwhile the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) attacked three different military installations of the LTTE in the last two days (6th and 5th). Targets hit on the 5th include a relay station located north of Kilinochchi and a coordination center located in Kaivelukulam, Puthukuduirippu. On the 6th, another LTTE base in Thiruwai Aru, North west of Iranamadu, came under SLAF attack. UAV footage showed increased LTTE activity after the bombing in Thiruwai Aru, which could perhaps be an indication of casualties. The Air Force used precision guided munitions and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) in these attacks, all of which were acquired recently.

Fighting in Muhamalai, Kilali, Nagarkovil

At least 12 members of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were killed and an unknown number were wounded when the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched a pre emptive strike on LTTE positions along Muhamalai, Kilali and Nagarkovil defence lines this morning. 9 Soldiers of the army too have sustained injuries.

According to available information (unverified) two brigades of the army's elite 53rd division (53-1 Air Mobile Brigade, 53-4 Infantry) and two brigades of the 55th division (55-1, 55-2) backed by T-55 battle tanks of the armored corps and MBRL rocket fire from Sri Lanka Artillery has taken part in the attack.

We can confirm that  4 LTTE bunkers in Nagarkovil FDL, 16 bunkers in Kilali FDL and another 10 bunkers surrounding the A-9 road north of Muhamalai have been destroyed in the attack.

The main objective of these limited operations is to disrupt the stability of LTTE's defenses along the national front (Muhamalai/Kilali/Nagarkovil), not to capture land.

Contact with Water Jet lost after sea battle

In our previous article we reported about the extraordinary sea battle that took place yesterday in the seas off Thalaimannar. Two vessels of the Sri Lanka Navy suddenly came under fire when they tried to investigate a large number of fishing boats docked in the Thalaimannar region. It is now believed that Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) launched the attack after mingling in with the Indian fishermen who had illegally entered the Sri Lankan territorial waters.

SLN command has lost contact with one of its Water Jets following the sea battle. 7 SLN personnel are Missing in Action (MIA). SLN sources claim that it is unlikely that the tigers captured the vessel. LTTE casualties are not known.

Indian fishing boats open fire on SLN vessels

Two fast attack craft (FAC) of the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) came under small arms fire from a number of smaller Indian fishing boats in Thalaimannar area yesterday at around 6PM.

Two FACs on routine patrol in Mannar region were sent to investigate reports of a large number of vessels docked in Thalaimannar area. When SLN crafts first approached the suspicious boats, the fishermen had requested help from navy citing technical problems. However the fishing boats had opened fire on SLN vessels when the naval personnel tried to investigate the legality of their docking. SLN had not returned fire using the medium caliber cannons on board the FACs, in order to avoid civilian casualties that would have otherwise caused diplomatic issues between India and Sri Lanka.

According to SLN sources there are about 400 such Indian fishing boats that had illegally entered Sri Lankan territorial waters.

Explosion in Weli-Oya

A bus transporting civilians between Janakapura (Weli-Oya) and Parakramapura (Anuradhapura) has been hit by a claymore explosion near the Kobbekaduwa junction in Atha Watunu Wewa area at 3.45PM today.  10 civilians including 2 women have been killed and at least 17 have sustained injuries in the incident. 2 soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) have also been killed in the blast.

The village of Atha Watunu Wewa has been vulnerable to LTTE attacks ever since fighting erupted between the Sri Lanka army and LTTE in August 2006. The rebels have been accused of directing mortar fire to the village targeting civilian property on a number of occasions before.

Claymore explosion targets army tractor : Buttala

A claymore mine exploded near the 45th mile post in Buttala - Kataragama road today at around 2PM targeting a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) tractor transporting supplies to soldiers deployed in the area. 1 soldier has been killed and another 3 have been wounded in the explosion. SLA presence in the region has been increased ever since the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) exploded a civilian transport bus killing 27, few weeks ago.

An electricity transformer of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) was damaged in an explosion today morning in Mount Lavinia. A house nearby too has been damaged however there were not civilian casualties. Another minor explosion was reported in a swamp near Katubadda today afternoon. There are no civilian casualties reported in the incident.

Meanwhile a Special Task Force (STF) camp in Bakmitiyawa came under LTTE mortar fire early morning today. At least four mortars have fallen inside base premises. Casualty details are not available as of now.

Explosion at Fort Railway Station

A female LTTE suicide bomber exploded herself inside the Fort railway station today at 2.15 PM, causing heavy civilian casualties. At least 5 people have been killed and 95 others with injuries have been admitted to the national hospital. Casualty figures may rise.

The explosion has taken place near the canteen situated in close proximity to the 3rd platform of the railway station. A train bound to Ambepussa has also been damaged in the incident.

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have carried out more than 250 suicide attacks ever since they began a battle for a separate Tamil homeland three decades ago.

Explosion at Dehiwala Zoo

An explosion has taken place inside Dehiwala Zoo today at 10.30AM. According to available information, six civilians have been injured in the blast that took place inside the Birds park. A hand grenade is suspected to be the source of the minor explosion. Zoo has been temporarily closed following the blast.

Explosion in Dambulla

At least 13 people were killed in an explosion that took place in Dambulla bus stand today at 7.05AM. According to available information the blast has occurred inside a Kandy-Anuradhapura private bus.

In addition to the 13 dead, over 20 people have suffered injuries. A large percentage of the dead and injured are believed to be civilians who were traveling to attend the "Nelum Mal Pooja" (a religious activity performed by Buddhists) in Anuradhapura today.

Security in Colombo tightened ahead of independence day

With only three more days to go for the Independence day, security in Colombo has been beefed up significantly. A large number of troops from the Army, Air Force, Police and the Police Special Task Force (STF) have been deployed in the City of Colombo fearing LTTE attacks to disrupt the proceedings of the independence day. Military Intelligence had previously warned about possible LTTE attacks during this period targeting both military and civilian targets in the south.

Meanwhile a team of 94 commandos from the Police Special Task Force (STF) passed out yesterday after completing a 3 month long training exercise. Their specialized training was centered around combating terrorism in civilian populated areas. STF has been assigned a major role in security of Colombo after the recent bombings. It currently employs around 8000 highly trained commandos recruited both from within and externally from the police.

Despite security concerns, Sri Lanka is set to celebrate independence day with a show of military might. The Army, Navy, Air Force, Civil Defence Force and the Police are to take part in the independence day parade. SLN is set to show off it's warships SLNS Suranimala, SLNS Sayura, SLNS Sagara and SLNS Samudura along with a range of other Fast Attack Crafts. Air Force will have its own display of Kfirs, Mig27s, F-7s, Mi-24s and various other transport aircraft during the ceremony. According to our information, army's newly formed mechanized infantry brigade too is set to take part in the parade. 

In other news the "Dayata Kirula" exhibition is set to feature a lot of weapons, vehicles and utilities used by the tri forces of Sri Lanka. In addition to these, arms captured from LTTE including their 30 feet long sea tiger vessel "Indumathi" will also be shown in the exhibition.