The death toll in the clashes between the Liberation
Tigers
of
Tamil
Eelam
(LTTE)
and
troops
in
the
Udaiyadi,
Kathankulam,
Periyakulam,
Ilantaivan,
Malikaittidal,
Vannakulam,
Paleipperumalkadu,
Munkilmurichchan
and
Adampan
areas
of
Mannar
district
on
April
12
has
risen
to
76,
reports
Sri
Lanka
Army
(SLA).
66
militants
and
10
soldiers
were
killed,
according
to
latest
reports.
As
reported
earlier,
30
militants
and
six
soldiers
were
killed
when
the
troops
extended
their
defence
line
in
the
areas
north
of
Giant
Tank,
north
Kathankulam,
south
east
of
Adampan
and
Periyakulam.
The
pro-LTTE
website
Tamil
Net
quoted
the
outfit’s
military
spokesman
Irasiah
Ilanthirayan
claiming
that at least 30 soldiers were killed and 75
wounded
when
the
LTTE’s
‘defensive
formations’
in
Mannar
confronted
a
four-pronged
SLA
attempt
to
advance
west
of
Giant’s
Tanks
in
Mannar.
The
Website
said
that
the
outfit
lost
three
cadres
in
the
fighting
that
lasted
from
5.30am till 1.30pm.
Five LTTE militants were killed and eight others
injured
in
clashes
with
the
security
forces
(SFs)
in
the
Villattikulam,
Vinayagapuram,
north
of
Madhu
and
Chinnavalayankulam
areas
of
Vavuniya
and
Mannar
districts.
Two
soldiers
were
wounded
in
the
incident.
SFs killed two LTTE militants and wounded over
14
others
in
clashes
in
the
north
of
Kiriibbanwewa
and
north
of
Janakapura
in
the
Vavuniya
district.
The troops moving ahead of the Muhamalai FDL
(Forward
Defence
Line)
in
the
Jaffna district neutralised two LTTE bunkers
killing
two
militants
and
injuring
five
others.
One more LTTE militant was killed and two of
the
outfit’s
bunkers
were
neutralised
by
the
troops
during
two
encounters
in
the
area
north
of
Welioya
in
Vavuniya
district.
Three
soldiers
and
two
militants
sustained
injuries
in
the
attack.
Three
more
soldiers
were
wounded
in
an
LTTE
attack
and
the
explosion
of
an
anti-personnel
mine
in
the
same
area.
Elsewhere, on April 11, the troops ambushed
a
group
of
LTTE
militants
in
the
Andankulam
area
and
killed
three
of
them.
Separately,
troops
killed
two
LTTE
cadres
in
the
Vedamakilam
area.
The troops confronted another group of LTTE
militants
in
the
Vinayakankulam
area
and
killed
two
of
them.
Another
LTTE
militant
was
killed
by
the
troops
in
the
area
north
of
Janakapura.
Further, the SFs attacked an LTTE bunker in
the
Muhamalai
region
of
Jaffna district and killed one militant.
Three soldiers were injured in an encounter
with
the
LTTE
militants
in
the
area
north
of
Janakapura
in
the
Vavuniya
district.
Similarly,
another
soldier
was
injured
in
the
Sulanamaruthamadu
area.
Four militants were injured in another attack
by
the
troops
in
the
Kiriibbanwewa
area
of
Vavuniya
district.
Separately,
the
troops
captured
two
trenches
in
the
Andankulam
area,
injuring
three
militants.
Two
more
militants
were
injured
in
the
Kokkutoduvai
area.
At
Muhamalai
in
the
Jaffna district, the troops attacked an
LTTE
bunker
and
injured
three
militants.
LTTE militants and sympathisers who have surrendered
are
putting
pressure
on
the
Sri
Lankan
Government
to
arrange
for
overseas
jobs
for
them,
fearing
assassination
for
having
deserted
the
outfit,
PTI reports. "We always fear for our
life
by
the
LTTE
though
we
have
been
put
up
in
well
guarded
buildings,"
an
unnamed
former
LTTE
militant
told
a
group
of
journalists
in
Jaffna recently. | 
