Vanni SF HQ attacked

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 September 2008, 00:53 GMT]The joint headquarters of the Sri Lankan forces in Vanni, situated in Vavuniyaa town, came under attack for more than 2 hours by the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) in the early hours of Tuesday. According to the casualty figures released by the Sri Lankan military sources, 9 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers, 2 Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) personnel and 1 policemen were killed and 26 wounded. At least 10 LTTE Black Tiger commandos had infiltrated into the Vanni headquarters of the SL forces, causing destruction to the military facilities. LTTE's aircrafts bombed the SF HQ of Vanni around 2:30 a.m., before the Black Tigers launched the attack. Vavuniyaa town is at standstill.

There were at least 11 explosions that rocked the town and heavy exchange of gunfire was reported till 5:00 a.m.

The Sri Lankan military officials in Colombo claimed that their forces counter-attacked the Tiger aircrafts, but their was no indication of any aircraft coming down, according to civilian sources.

The explosions were also caused by Tiger artillery that targeted the Sri Lankan headquarters, after the Tiger air mission, the sources further added.

One civilian, a girl, was wounded and rushed to hospital, medical sources in the town said.

In the meantime, Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers and surveillance aircrafts, stepped up flying missions over Ki'linochchi and Mullaiththeevu districts from 4:00 a.m., and attacked two localities.

The first air attack by the SLAF was reported in Puthukkudiyiruppu, three times, between 4:20 and 5:10 a.m. The attack has taken place in densely populated area and the premises of a school, Puthukkudiyiruppu Subramaniya Viththiyaalayam, was among the target, according to initial reports from Puthukkudiyiruppu. A 50-year-old woman, identified as Ms. Sulojana, was wounded. Shops in the town have also sustained damage in the SLAF attack.

At 6:40 a.m., a locality in Poonakari (Pooneryn) was bombed by the SLAF bombers. Casualty details were not available.