From the War Front - the Struggle for Tamil Eelam - Puliyankulam falls to the LTTE

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PULIYANKULAM, KANAKARAYANKULAM, FALL TO LTTE
SRI LANKA'S ARMY'S DEFENSE SYSTEM IN VANNI COLLAPSES
Press Release from LTTE Headquarters, Tamil Eelam
6 November 1999

Sri Lankan military establishment suffered further humiliating debacles when two more strategically important towns on the A9 highway in the southern Vanni region fell to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE).

Puliyankulam and Kanakarayankulam, the strongest and well fortified outposts situated on the highway 15 and 20 miles respectively from the city of Vavuniya, were overrun by the LTTE forces. The LTTE commando units stormed the garrison town of Kanakarayankulam, and brought the military base under control last night after intense fighting. Constituted as a massive military complex housing the headquarters of the Army's 55, 56 Divisions, Kanakarayankulam was subjected to heavy artillery and mortar bombardment by the LTTE forces for the last few days and suffered huge damages. After overrunning Kanakarayankulam, LTTE commando units launched a fierce attack on Puliyankulam and captured the town today.

With the fall of these well entrenched and strategically crucial towns, the formidable defence system painfully built-up by the Sri Lankan military for the last five years with heavy loss of human lives in the northern Vanni region, crumbled suddenly. Waves after waves of LTTE offensive o nslaughts and sudden loss of huge territories confused the military establishment in Vanni and caused de-moralisation amongst the military personnel. As a consequence thousands of troops have deserted their posts in panic and fled into the jungles. The LTTE fighters are pursuing the Sinhala soldiers in mopping up operations in different regions of Vanni.

LTTE fighting formations are also sweeping vast tracts of lands east and west of A9 highway and have brought under their control several strategic towns. Moonrumurrippu, Mannakulam west of Mankulam, Nainamadu and Mathiyamadu east of Puliyankulam have fallen to the Tamil Tigers. By overrunning several military complexes, bases and camps within a short span of time by sudden and lightning assaults, the Liberation Tigers have amassed a massive array of war materials and military vehicles amounting to billions of rupees.

With the fall of Puliyankulam, the last garrison town in the southern sector of Vanni, the city of Vavuniya is now exposed to LTTE's offensive thrust. Thousands of troops have already fallen back to bases in Vavuniya to reinforce the defence system of the city where 50,000 Tamils live.