COLOMBO: At least 10 LTTE militants were killed in an air attack Wednesday even as the government declared unilateral truce for three days coinciding with the Buddhist festival Vesak ended midnight Wednesday night.

Air force helicopter gunships attacked a group of LTTE militants at Kokilai in northern Vavuniya Wednesday after they had killed two soldiers and wounded three others in violation of the government truce. Ten bodies of the militants were seen in the area following the air attack military officials said.

Troops also recovered a large quantity of arms and ammunition from a militant hideout outside Palaly in northern Jaffna on Wednesday.

The recovered weapons included AK-47 rifles and a light machine gun a spokesman of the joint operation command here said adding that at least five civilians were reportedly abducted by militants in northern Vavuniya. Militants had killed at least eight soldiers on Tuesday in eastern Trincomalee in violation of the truce military officials said.

Article extracted from this publication >> June 7, 1991