By Dharisha Bastians and Santhush Fernando
Sporadic fighting in the northern Jaffna peninsular escalated by yesterday, with reports claiming that LTTE cadres had infiltrated and attacked government troops from positions behind forward defence lines in Kilali and Muhamalai.
According to military officials, the heavy attack on government troops had commenced on Friday evening and continued throughout the morning and afternoon yesterday. The military lost 28 soldiers in Friday’s fighting, with army officials reporting heavy casualties from yesterday morning as well.
To stem the infiltration, Sri Lanka Air Force jets have been bombing the Tiger positions behind government FDLs, causing widespread damage to property and assets in the area. An Uthayan newspaper storeroom in Jaffna has been burnt badly in the exchange of fire, causing losses amounting to Rs. 2 million in news print and other property.
Recurring artillery fire at the Palay airbase has grounded all fixed wing air craft leaving only helicopters to bring supplies and reinforcements into the embattled peninsular. However, Army Commander, Lt. General Sarath Fonseka told The Nation that the damage to the airstrip in Palaly was negligible.
With air and sea routes hampered, large numbers of foreign aid workers and civilians are struggling to find transport out of the peninsula and the Reuters news agency quoted diplomats as saying yesterday that they hoped an ICRC ship would be allowed to move into the area to evacuate the stranded civilians.
ICRC Spokesman Davide Vignati told The Nation that they were working to transport aid and evacuate civilians in Jaffna but added that they were not sure of being granted access into the area by sea.
The World Food Programme has been distributing food supplies in Jaffna yesterday but since the situation is still confusing with air and ground attacks continuing, relief plans may not be implemented until Monday or Tuesday.
Around 1,600 people from districts outside Jaffna are stranded in the peninsula since with moves to ship them out with Indian assistance being still uncertain. The Jaffna District Secretariat has completed the registration of around 1,600 persons and is awaiting green light from Colombo, Government Agent of Jaffna, K. Ganesh told The Nation.
Even a team of UNDP consultants brought down by the Ministry of Nation Building had attempted with UN intervention to get out of the peninsula by road along the A9 highway but they were turned back on Friday at Chavakachcheri due to heavy fighting in Kilali. Although Nation Building Ministry Secretary, M. S. Jayasinghe had authorised the team to be allowed to pass through, the military had reportedly not given them clearance.
There was a heavy shortage of diesel and petrol in Jaffna and banks and ATMs issued only up to a maximum of thousand rupees, civilian sources said.
Meanwhile the Sri Lanka Army has raided an operation room housed in the Jaffna University complex on Friday (18) night and arrested a suspected senior LTTE member, military sources said.
The troops had taken into custody a state of the art computer, a digital camera and satellite telephone and a portrait of LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. Security personnel also reportedly found letterheads belonging to a Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian inside the room.