The elite commando forces of the Sri Lanka Police , the Special Task Force overran one of the largest Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) jungle bases in the besieged Eastern Province of Sri Lanka that has been also widely used as a combat training center for child soldiers. The large base named Stanley was successfully captured by the special Task force when cadres of the LTTE decided to abandon it after a pitched battle with the police Special Task Force (STF).
The STF said three of their men sustained injuries in the battle and were admitted to Ampara Hospital. Camp Stanley, named after a military leader of the LTTE is at Kanjikudichcharu in the Ampara District ( coordinates 7. 10-12N, 81.46-48 E)and the take over by the STF happened at 2 p.m. January 8 , the Ministry of Defense said. A spokesmand said, Stanley, the leader after whom the base is named was also among the people who fled. Independent reports show that the LTTE is severely hampered by a severe shortage of manpower in the area.
Eastern Province LTTE bases, according to Sri Lanka intelligence sources are being widely used, to send suicide bombers to pre destined targets specially in the Colombo and South and the STF announced they discovered a ‘Cantor” truck filled with explosives and a motor bike prepared for the same purpose. Such vehicles are being widely used for suicide missions.
STF said that they also found a water tanker truck donated by , the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), a front organization of the LTTE, who collect funds especially in the United States and Canada purportedly for civilians, but actually for the terrorist group. The TRO is now banned from operating in Sri Lanka and their funds frozen by the Central Bank.
The Defense Ministry said in a statement, “STF personnel have found a fully equipped hospital funded by an International Non Government Organization, a warehouse filled with dry rations meant for civilians, 2 sub-camps, an intelligence camp, a circuit bungalow and a cafeteria, abandoned by the fleeing tigers.”
They also listed the following as other things found at the camp, “ 3 motor cycles, a 50kv and a 25kv Generators, satellite antennas and coffins, a large haul of arms and ammunition that included repeater rifles, and a large number of anti-personnel mines.”.
The Ministry of Defense further said, “It is considered as a significant and a strategic step forward as the tiger terrorists were posing severe threat to the security forces and the civilians from this camp.”
The Ministry of Defense said, “The captured camp was of a strategic importance to the LTTE terrorists from where they used to fire mortar and artillery to the security forces camps in the Akkaraipaththuwa, Thirukkovil and Poththuvil areas.”
The Ministry of Defense added, “A fully equipped hospital believed to be funded by a reputed INGO was also discovered by the STF personnel in the captured terror base located deep inside the thick jungle of Kanjikudichcharu. The STF sources said they were amused by the facilities provided by the particular INGO to a hospital where no civilian would have expected to have medical treatment.”
The Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, Lt. General Sarath Fonseka has vowed to oust the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eeelam who are also known as Tamil Tigers from the Eastern Province. They are now restricted to few square miles in the jungles of Ampara District and at Vakarai from where thousands of civilians have already fled.
The LTTE is fighting for a mono-ethnic separate state in the country’s Eastern and Northern provinces.
(http://www.lankaweb.com/)
No comments:
Post a Comment