Sri Lankan forces on Tuesday (3rd February) captured the last airstrip of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Sundarapuram in the northeastern Mullaitivu district. This information was disclosed to the media by the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) in Colombo.

 

MCNS said that, the troops of the 58 Division on Tuesday (3rd February) morning captured the seventh and apparently the last airstrip of the LTTE. This is a 2 km long runway in the west of Sundarapuram' lying northeast of Piramatharukulam in Puthukkidiyiruppu. The 58 Division was commanded by Brigadier Shavendra Silva.

 

MCNS further said that the runway was most probably used as a hangar after return, on completion of clandestine aerial terrorist bombing operations. The LTTE are believed to be in possession of an unknown number of Czech-built Zlin Z-143 light aircraft. In the past it had carried out dozens of night air raids against military installations. The fate of these aircraft is not known yet.

 

Earlier, the advancing troops had already captured six airstrips in the Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts that had been under the control of the rebels over the past one decade.