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Six LTTE cadres died, many injured in Sri Lanka

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, July 28, IRNA
SLanka-LTTE-Strikes
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has claimed that six of their cadres had been killed and eight others, including three civilians, were wounded when the Sri Lankan Air Force fighter jets bombed one of their camps in the restive eastern Trincomalee district.

The LTTE camp Kathiraveli in the rebel-held Vakarai region came under aerial bombing during the evening air raid of the Sri Lankan air force on Thursday, Doordarshan News said here quoting LTTE's sources.

Sri Lankan Air Force fighter jets commenced the air-strikes on Wednesday on what the government termed as "known LTTE targets" in the LTTE-held areas of the Trincomalee district after accusing the LTTE cadres of closing the sluice gate of the Verugal river, depriving water facilities to the adjoining villages.

The military claimed that the aim of the attack was to dislodge them from the rebel-held Verugal area and send the engineers by land to open the water blockade.

However, it is not immediately clear whether the engineers were able to be sent to the Verugal area, where the LTTE has their strong presence.

Meanwhile, the military in a statement Thursday said that the air force jets have bombed some `selected LTTE targets' in the LTTE heartland of Mullaitivu, where the Tamil Tigers were allegedly constructing another airstrip.

Reports confirmed that SLAF Kfir jets, after receiving information that another airstrip was being built by LTTE in the area, conducted attacks on specific targets, the statement said.

The government launched the first air strike after the February 2002 ceasefire agreement after the country's Army Chief, General Fonseka miraculously survived attack of a female suicide bomber on his car inside the heavily-guarded army headquarters in Colombo on 25th April.

There were a couple of more aerial attacks on the rebel-held territories thereafter.

Following the third air raid, the LTTE issued a statement warning that it would take retaliatory actions, if the government continued with the aerial attack, as they would consider it as an offensive operation on contrary to the existing ceasefire agreement.

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