In the Wanni front, troops launched their first strike at a terror hideout at Mullikulama last morning. Sources said that at least 20 terrorists were killed and 15 others were injured in the incident. During the subsequent search, troops have found five bodies of young LTTE female cadres and two bodies of male cadres. Also, troops have seized six T-56 machine guns and one Multi Purpose Machine Gun.

One soldier was killed and seven others were injured as the terrorists engaged the location using artillery and heavy mortar fire. Field sources said that they refrained from retaliating to the terrorists' indirect fire since LTTE has positioned all of their artillery and heavy mortar batteries around the sacred Madhu church.

At Vilathikulama, infantrymen killed eight more terrorists in two separate attacks last evening. Field sources said four terrorists were killed in each incident when troops attacked two terror hideouts between 3-4 p.m. Soldiers suffered no casualties in these incidents.

Meanwhile in the Northern front, SL army soldiers killed four LTTE terrorists and seized weapons when they attacked a group of LTTE infiltrators at Muhamalai last evening. According to the military sources, the soldiers have detected a group of terrorists in the Kadolana area and taken them on a surprise attack. The soldiers have also captured two T-56 riffles, a suppressed firearm, seven T-56 magazines, one wire cutter and tools and a large stock of ration packets following the clash.

LTTE is a ruthless terror outfit which fights for an ethnically pure, separate Tamil homeland for Tamils living in Sri Lanka since 1983. The outfit is well known for its extreme tribalism and nefarious crimes against soft targets specially the women and children. During its two and half decade long terrorist war against Sri Lankan people, LTTE has killed over 70,000 people mostly civilians in its ethnic cleansing raids, indiscriminate bomb attacks, suicide blasts, etc. LTTE is also in top of the UN's list of shame for using child soldiers in war. As a tactical measure the outfit uses only young female cadres and male child soldiers for the frontlines.