SLA death toll hits 120, army pushed back to Malaiyaa`lapuram - LTTE
[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 December 2008, 16:18 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) officials told TamilNet correspondent in Vanni Thursday that the two-pronged SLA offensive on Ki`inochchi was pushed back Wednesday after heavy fighting in Puthumu`rippu in the west of Ki`linochchi and A`riviyal Nakar in the south. The final death toll of the SLA in both the fronts, according to the LTTE claim, was 120 killed in action and more than 280 wounded. Photographs given by the LTTE officials also indicate that there were some young recruits of the SLA among the dead. Meanwhile, the SLA, which admitted heavy fighting, has put the casualties at 20 SLA and 27 LTTE combatants as killed in the latest fighting.


Young recruits among the SLA dead [Photo: LTTE]

Heavy fighting at Puthumu`rippu ended Wedensday afternoon as SLA suffered high casualties. There was disarray among the SLA troops as an LTTE counter-push was launched by the Tigers.

On the other front, the SLA was pushed back from from A`riviyal Nakar to Malaiyaa`lapuram Wednesday night, according to the Tigers.

More than 25 dead bodies of the SLA were still lying in the no-go zone between the LTTE and SLA forces, the Tigers said.


Arms seized by the Tigers [Photo: LTTE]

SLA soldiers killed in action [Photo: LTTE]


A Tiger female fighter in clearing operation [Photo: LTTE]
LTTE fighters engaged in counter-push by the Tigers recovering dead bodies [Photo: LTTE]
SLA soldier killed in action. [Photo: LTTE]
LTTE fighters in clearing mission [Photo: LTTE]