Soldiers of the 57 and 58 divisions sustained casualty rates numbering nearly 250

More casualties on Wednesday but Army expands hold on Tiger earthbund:
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=27758

Fierce fighting continued for the second successive day in areas south- west and north – west of Kilinochchi and west of Paranthan on Wednesday December 17th.

Soldiers of the 57 and 58 divisions sustained casualty rates numbering nearly 250 but managed to both retain and expand their hold on the earthbund constructed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE)as a defensive measure.

According to Defence ministry sources who spoke on condition of anonymity around 80 army personnel from both 57 and 58 divisions were killed on Wednesday.

A further 145 were injured while another 24 were reported as “missing in action”.

Wednesday’s fighting was of two types and centered around the 18 km long “L” shaped earthbund erected by the LTTE from areas west of Paranthan in Kunchuparanthan to areas south of Kilinochchi in Iranaimadhu, sources said.

An offensive was launched in the early hours of the morning in the Puthumurippukulam area by the army with the intention of breaching the bund – oriented tiger defences in the south – western region.

This offensive was resisted and repulsed intensely by the tigers who inflicted massive losses on the army.

The LTTE has claimed they retrieved 12 bodies of soldiers in Puthumurippukulan.

In the second type of fighting several onslaughts were directed against the army in areas north – west of Kilinochchi and areas west of Paranthan which is 4 miles to the north of Kilinochchi town along the A – 9 highway.

The LTTE was mainly targeting soldiers who were holding a portion of the tiger earthbund in that vicinity.

The army despite heavy casualties had seized about 5 km of the 18 km long bund on Tuesday December 16th.

The tiger assaults on Wednesday were aimed at dislodging soldiers from these positions.

Despite many attacks the soldiers not only managed to retain their hold on the earthbund but also succeeded in expanding their hold on the bund from 5 km to 7 km.

The army also advanced into the areas of Sorikkernukulam to the west of Paranthan town.

The LTTE also incurred casualties amounting to about 100 with 30 killed and 70 injured.

Fighting is expected to continue for the third successive day on Thursday December 18th.

The armed forces have incurred nearly 900 casualties in two days of fighting while the LTTE suffered nearly 170 casualties in two days.

With Defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse having set a deadline of December 31st for capturing Kilinochchi the armed forces are determined to meet that deadline in spite of stiff LTTE resistance.

It is also a matter of prestige for the tigers as LTTE chief Velupillai Prabakharan told an Indian journal that Kilinochchi would not fall.

8TH LEAD [PHOTO REVEALS SLA USE OF CHILD SOLDIERS]
SLA death toll hits 170 in Vanni, hundreds wounded, 36 bodies recovered - LTTE
[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 December 2008, 02:08 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) officials on Wednesday said that 130 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed in the multi-front offensive push by the SLA in Ki'linochchi on Tuesday. More than 300 soldiers were wounded in the heavy battle that raged throughout the day till 4:00 p.m. on five main localities and along a wide stretch of the frontiers in Ki'linochchi. Meanwhile, in Ki'laali, 40 SLA soldiers were killed and more than 120 sustained injuries. 36 dead bodies of the SLA soldiers have been recovered so far, 28 in Ki'linochchi and 8 in Ki'liaali, in the clearing missions following Tuesday's fighting. There are young recruits of the SLA, including child soldiers, engaged in the front by the SLA in Ki'linochchi.

Ki'linochchi fighting
Dead bodies of SLA soldiers to be handed over to Colombo through the ICRC [Photo: TamilNet]


Ki'linochchi fighting
Sri Lanka Army child soldier victim [Photo: TamilNet]
Photographs of the dead bodies of the Sri Lankan soldiers, recovered by the LTTE, has lately exposed Colombo's use of fresh recruits from the south in the intensive battle front in Ki'linochchi. The latest photo has also revealed that Colombo is victimising Sinhalese children in its offensive front in Vanni.

10 dead bodies of the SLA soldiers were recovered by the Tigers Tuesday evening. 8 more bodies were recovered later and 10 further recovered Wednesday morning.

Three identity tags of the SLA soldiers were shown by the Tigers. S195842 (SR.CO.UY, B+ve), S1369682 (B+ve, DCOY, 12 SLSR) and S371790 (A+ve, ACOY, 12 SLSR). Only a few soldiers were carrying identity tags or documents while being engaged in the offensives in Vanni.

The Tigers said they have seized several weapons in the clearing mission.

There was still exchange of gunfire and minor clashes that continued in Malaiyaa'lapuram and Kugchupparanthan areas according to the latest update Wednesday morning.

The SLA had launched the multi-front push towards Ki'linochchi through Malayaa'lapuram, Kugnchupparanthan, Mu'rika'ndi and Pulikku'lam. The Tigers said the SLA move was repulsed.

The army has also suffered heavy casualties in the Jaffna front at Ki'laali where it launched an offensive push in the early hours of Tuesday amid heavy rain. There were more dead bodies lying between the LTTE and SLA defence lines, according to the latest updates from Ki'laalli front.

Ki'linochchi fighting
An LTTE female cadre on a FDL post [Photo: LTTE]
Ki'linochchi fighting
Additional Tiger fighters on their way to counter offensive in Ki'linochchi [Photo: LTTE]
Ki'linochchi fighting
LTTE cadres on battlefront [Photo: LTTE]
Ki'linochchi fighting
Tiger female cadres engaged in battle on Tuesday [Photo: LTTE]


Ki'linochchi fighting
24 corpses of SLA soldiers killed in Ki'linochchi frontiers [Photo: TamilNet]


Chronology:
17.12.08 SLA death toll hits 170 in Vanni, hundreds wounded..
16.12.08 SLA suffers third debacle in Ki'linochchi, 100 kil..


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