2ND LEAD

LTTE's Head of Military Intelligence killed in Claymore ambush

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 January 2008, 01:20 GMT]
Col. Charles, Head of Liberation Tigers Military Intelligence, was killed Saturday evening in a random Claymore attack by Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit in Pa'l'lamadu in Mannaar, LTTE sources in Vanni said. Col. Charles who has been in charge of internal intelligence within the ranks of LTTE ground forces and led an external operations corps as well as a regular combat force that has been deployed in Mannaar district, was killed together with three LTTE lieutenants in the ambush while they were riding in a van between Iluppaikkadavai and Pa'l'lamadu at 3:10 p.m.

Col Charles (Shanmuganathan Ravishankar, Jaffna) was on a mission inspecting his regular forces in Mannaar, informed sources said.

The lieutenants killed in the ambush were identified as Sukanthan (Sivapalan Sreetharan) from Jeyapuram, Lt. Veeramaravan (Pararajasingham Suthan) from Mallaavi and Lt. Kalaa (Sinnaththamby Kangatharan) from Vaddakkachchi.

Col. Charles, who joined the LTTE as a full-time member in December 1985 was taken into its Intelligence Wing following his military performance in Jaffna district and later in Vanni during the LTTE - India war. He served in a key position in LTTE Intelligence Wing between 1991 and 2004, also as the head of LTTE Intelligence in Batticaloa-Ampaa'rai district between 1997 and 2000. He has commanded a number of key military operations, LTTE officials said.

Col. Charles was appointed as the Head of newly established Military Intelligence wing in 2004 by the LTTE leader V. Pirapaharan.



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