False Casualty Figures

Pro-LTTE websites have indicated that upto 25 Special Task Force Commandos have been killed in fighting in Ampara and Batticaloa Districts. It is true that the LTTE maintains a presence of about 50 cadres in Ampara. In Batticaloa, they are limited to the LTTE Pistol-Group who operate in the guise of civilians. They are being forced to move from place to place in populated areas and also inside dense jungles by the STF and Military Intelligence, who are engaged in systematic tracking and ambushing of small LTTE groups. The latest such attack was launched last Saturday by STF. DefenceWire can confirm that the LTTE has not been able to ambush and kill such a large number of STF personnel in the recent past. We believe that a dearth of positive achievements for the LTTE in the last few months have led these sources to fabricate stories in order to lift the morale of its Expatriate Community.