The attack and heavy fighting came amidst reports that the LTTE's Wanni leadership had sent reinforcements to the east for the past few days and weeks and finalised plans for a major attack on the Karuna faction after loyalists of the renegade leader had launched a series of attacks on LTTE cadres.
Military sources said Wanni cadres reportedly launched the attack on Karuna's cadres led by Karuna’s 40-year-old brother Vinyagomoorthy Sivanesathurai alias Reggie as part of a fresh campaign by the LTTE leadership to knock out the renegade faction.
They said the battle began late at night and after several hours of heavy fighting Karuna's brother and two other frontliners Kuilanan and Eleen were killed on the spot at Annadmali.
Later Wanni cadres had brought the bodies to Illipadichchenai and some reports said Reggie's body was burnt.
Five Wanni cadres including two females were also killed by the Karuna faction which had offered fierce resistance to the attack, the sources said quoting reports from the area.
But Military Spokesman Sumedha Perera said that while information had come to the troops about the confrontation between the two factions and at least three deaths, the casualty figures had not been confirmed.
Reggie had launched several attacks on the Wanni cadres since his brother was virtually forced to leave the east by the Wanni faction after an LTTE crackdown in March this year.
Since then, a large number of Wanni cadres including several senior members were killed in a series of attacks by the Karuna faction.
The latest clash came soon after representatives of the Army and the LTTE met in Batticaloa on Tuesday to discuss the situation in the east including LTTE allegations that sections of the military were backing the Karuna faction.
At this meeting the senior most Army officer strongly denied the LTTE allegation and challenged the Tigers to provide evidence if they had any.
