In one of the eight sorties launched by SLAF yesterday morning, Mi24 helicopter gunships attacked a Sea Tiger unit in the Kilaly lagoon killing its female leader and a senior cadre.

According to SLAF spokesman Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakara, the LTTE radio interceptions had revealed that the boats moving from Elephant Pass to Kilaly had been attacked. One boat had been destroyed while the others fled back to Elephant Pass.

The Tiger Radio had said that the two missing women cadres were Seran and Suhandini, though it was not clear which one of them was the group leader.

The LTTE radio had also said that a new leader for the group had been appointed.

Around 5.30 a.m. Mi 24 helicopter gunships had bombed an LTTE gathering, two km east of Mulliyaveli in close proximity to sea tiger headquarters, in support of Army’s 59 Division, he said.

Mi 24 helicopter gunships had later targeted a location in the same area where a large number of Tiger cadres had gathered, he said.

In another attack, jets targeted an LTTE warehouse three km north of Mullaitivu lagoon where the cargo ship Farah-3 had been abandoned after the sea tigers attacked and damaged the vessel.

The aerial reconnaissance had spotted a movement from that location and truck parked there and confirmed the building was a Sea Tiger warehouse and the LTTE cadres were shifting supplies to another location.

"The building had been partly damaged by the attack and while the Sea Tigers were loading the truck, when Jets lunched a second attack on the same target severely damaging the structure and the vehicle, Nanayakkara said.

Jets also pounded the LTTE defence line at the Iranamadu junction, three km east of A- 9 road forcing the Tigers to retreat.

Nanayakkara said an earth bund built by the Tigers to thwart the forward movement of the troops had been severely damaged.

Military Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara yesterday said that the 574 brigade had breached the LTTE defence line South of Iranamadu, pushing the Tigers further back while the Task Force -1 moving from Kilaly was in the process of capturing the Paranthan road.

In Omanthai, the Army had handed over to the ICRC 15 bodies of Tiger cadres to be given to the LTTE, while 15 bodies received by the ICRC from the LTTE were given to the army, he said.