ANURADHAPURA, SriLanka, April 15, Reuter: Sri Lankan troops are sweeping the jungles in the northwest in pursuit of Tamil separatists who attacked an army camp killing seven soldiers, a senior military Official said on Friday.
Colonel A.M. Seneviratne, security coordinating officer of the north central district, 170 km (100 miles) from Colombo, said Tamil Tiger guerrillas attacked the camp in nearby Puttalam on Wednesday night to gather weapons.
“We are looking for them now mainly in the Wilpattu jungles and in the area near it”, he said.
He would not say how many soldiers were involved in the operation but said roadblocks had been set up on approaches to Anuradhapura and Puttalam.
He said the Tigers had previously attacked Sri Lankan army camps in the north and east but the latest was the most severe this year.
Six soldiers were also wounded when about 70 Tigers pounded the Palugaturai camp, a remote coastal outpost manned by about 30 soldiers, with mortar bombs and automatic weapons for five hours.
“They have come mainly for arms gathering. This would indicate that the terrorists are not getting much through their usual supply lines”, Seneviratne said.
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