Progress in all areas

Around 25 LTTE cadres were killed when a team of about 100 cadres launched a counter attack at Adampan last morning. 2 soldiers were also killed in the fighting. The attack was anticipated following intelligence warnings (please see last report).

Small teams of soldiers are usually positioned ahead of the Army's existing FDL and artillery, including MBRL units are kept on standby at night in case of an enemy counter attack. Artillery crews and small groups of soldiers change patrols in the evening and sometimes again in the early morning and fresh teams are deployed in their place. Therefore no special preparations were necessary to counter the LTTE counter attack, which came shortly after 2.30am yesterday.

According to intelligence reports a group of 300 cadres were being trained by the LTTE in this area for the counter attack. Army believes the attack early last morning maybe the first wave of such attackers and that a much larger attack can be anticipated in the days to come. The Tiger cadres were spotted early and as artillery and MBRL strikes opened up, they made a hasty retreat dragging their dead and wounded and sometimes leaving behind weapons.

An air strike was made at the newly constructed LTTE earth bund that spans from Paranthan to north Oddusudan. Monitored communication indicated that a part of the bund, including several LTTE bunkers were hit and that a few cadres either manning or building the bund at the time may have been killed in the strikes.

Meanwhile SLA is preparing for another push at Muhamalai to break into the 2nd defence line of the LTTE. Paths along the no-man's-land ahead of the newly captured areas are being cleared by Army engineers to be used by specialized infantry units for the initial softening-up operations.

Heavy fighting was reported from Olumadu on Friday as Task Force 3 clashed with the LTTE in that area. SLA recovered 11 bodies including 2 decomposed ones. 9 bodies were handed over to the ICRC yesterday. Army believes it may have killed 20 Tigers in this fight which occurred shortly after TF3 surrounded an LTTE bunkerline.

The Army is now in full control of the A9 from Vavuniya (Kandy-Jaffna), all the way upto Kokavil. The checkpoint at Omanthai has been brought virtually to the outskirts of Kilinochchi. From the Army's perspective, these achievements, once thought impossible, are historic and unprecedented.