COLOMBO: Lankan Air Force Tuesday rescued seven seriously injured force personnel from the Besieged Jaffna Fort, while government forces in their continuing mopping up operations killed 55 LTTE militants during the weekend, military officials here said.
In the air force rescue operation codenamed “Eagle” which lasted for about 45 minutes, one helicopter managed to land on the outskirts of the 1 7th century fort and took off with seven’ of the 1 7 force personnel injured in the militant attack during the past three weeks. The chopper landed amidst heavy mortar and machinegun firing from the militants.
At least two other helicopter gunships and few air force jets provided diversionary attack on the militant positions around the fort and covering fire to the landing craft, official sources said.
Some emergency medical supply and food articles were also delivered during the early morning mercy mission.
While there was no casualty on the air force side during the operation, casualty on the side of the militants in air force bombing and staffing on the LTTE positions around the fort was not immediately known, the military officials said.
The rescued force personnel were brought to the Colombo military hospital where they were visited by several government ministers and officials and opposition leaders.
The government forces in their continuing mopping up operations in the three eastern districts of Ampara, Batticaloa and Trincomalee and the northern districts of Mannar killed least 55 LTTE militants since Saturday, a defence ministry communiqué said.
While five of them were killed in two separate encounters in Pottuvil and Chavalkade areas of Ampara district 49 militants, including two of their leader’s identified as Pandyan and Nizam, were killed in a series of encounters with the security forces in the Wilpattu wildlife sanctuary in northwestern province bordering Mannar district since Saturday.
At least 10 government force personnel were injured during these operations, the communiqué said adding that a large number of mortars, claymore mines, anti-personal pressure mines, arms and ammunition were also seized and six militants capture during the period. Twenty one dominant militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam activists in camouflage uniforms were killed in Trincomalee after they destroyed a massive ammunition and explosive dump, a defence ministry release said.
It said 298 out of the 600 or more policemen who surrendered to the LTTE had been murdered. Three hundred and fifteen are still missing, the release added.
Meanwhile the EELAM People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) in a statement Sunday accused the government of violating the constitution by amending the provincial councils act and alleged that “this is the beginning of the immoral and illegal grabbing of powers of the Tamil speaking people devolved under the provisions of the Indo Lanka accord.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 13, 1990
