More casualties on Wednesday but Army expands hold on Tiger earthbund
Fierce fighting continued for the second successive day in areas south- west and north west of Kilinochchi and west of Paranthan on Wednesday December 17th.
Soldiers of the 57 and 58 divisions sustained casualty rates numbering nearly 250 but managed to both retain and expand their hold on the earthbund constructed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE)as a defensive measure.
According to Defence ministry sources who spoke on condition of anonymity around 80 army personnel from both 57 and 58 divisions were killed on Wednesday.
A further 145 were injured while another 24 were reported as missing in action .
Wednesday s fighting was of two types and centered around the 18 km long L shaped earthbund erected by the LTTE from areas west of Paranthan in Kunchuparanthan to areas south of Kilinochchi in Iranaimadhu, sources said.
An offensive was launched in the early hours of the morning in the Puthumurippukulam area by the army with the intention of breaching the bund oriented tiger defences in the south western region.
This offensive was resisted and repulsed intensely by the tigers who inflicted massive losses on the army.
The LTTE has claimed they retrieved 12 bodies of soldiers in Puthumurippukulan.
In the second type of fighting several onslaughts were directed against the army in areas north west of Kilinochchi and areas west of Paranthan which is 4 miles to the north of Kilinochchi town along the A 9 highway.
The LTTE was mainly targeting soldiers who were holding a portion of the tiger earthbund in that vicinity.
The army despite heavy casualties had seized about 5 km of the 18 km long bund on Tuesday December 16th.
The tiger assaults on Wednesday were aimed at dislodging soldiers from these positions.
Despite many attacks the soldiers not only managed to retain their hold on the earthbund but also succeeded in expanding their hold on the bund from 5 km to 7 km.
The army also advanced into the areas of Sorikkernukulam to the west of Paranthan town.
The LTTE also incurred casualties amounting to about 100 with 30 killed and 70 injured.
Fighting is expected to continue for the third successive day on Thursday December 18th.
The armed forces have incurred nearly 900 casualties in two days of fighting while the LTTE suffered nearly 170 casualties in two days.
With Defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse having set a deadline of December 31st for capturing Kilinochchi the armed forces are determined to meet that deadline in spite of stiff LTTE resistance.
It is also a matter of prestige for the tigers as LTTE chief Velupillai Prabakharan told an Indian journal that Kilinochchi would not fall.
-transcurrents.com