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Army detects powerful anti-personnel mine, avoids casualties
DILIP GANGULY , Associated Press,
Fri January 6, 2006 04:38 EST .
The Sri Lankan army said it detected and defused an anti-personnel mine Friday, an hour before it might have been used to ambush a passing military convoy in the country's east, the Defense Ministry said.
Elsewhere, suspected Tamil rebels lobbed grenades at the army positions in the northeast, wounding at three soldiers in violence that threatens the country's 4-year-old cease-fire.
``It was a good find,'' said Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe, the military spokesman, of the Claymore mines found near the eastern town of Batticaloa before they were detonated. ``We alerted out troops and cleared the area,'' he said.
According to the army, the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are increasingly using Claymores - remotely detonated, aboveground anti-personnel mines designed to fire hundreds of steel balls.
In December alone, at least 23 sailors and soldiers were killed in two separate Claymore attacks by suspected rebels.
In separate attacks blamed on the rebels, three army units came under fire within a span of one hour in the port city of Trincomalee on Thursday night. Three soldiers were wounded, the Defense Ministry said.
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Published: Fri Jan 6 07:41:34 EST 2006
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MINISTER SAMARAWEERA BRIEFS SECRETARY RICE ON DEVELOPMENTS IN SRI LANKA
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