Senior LTTE leader Shankar gunned down by STF

Police Special Task Force (STF) personnel gunned down an area leader of LTTE terrorists at Saukade in Batticaloa this afternoon (January 9), defence sources said. Terrorist leader in charge of Batticaloa district, Shankar was killed in the shooting incident that occurred around 12.45.p.m, sources added.

The incident occurred when the police commandos acting on civilian information were engaged in a cordon and search operation in the area. The STF personnel have shot the terrorist leader when he had attempted to escape the cordon throwing a hand grenade. No STF casualties have been reported due to the explosion of the hand grenade.

STF has found one micro pistol with nine rounds and one hand grenade in the possession of the slain LTTE leader.

According to defence intelligence sources, Shankar was the person behind all the terrorist activities that were carried out by LTTE after the security forces liberated the Eastern Province.

Blast near Lake house

An explosion has taken place next to the Regent flats, close to Lake House roundabout, short while ago. According to the news-lanka sources, the bomb has been exploded in a public phone booth this evening (January 08) at around 7.50.p.m.

One man sustained minor injuries in the blast that shook the area close to Lake House a short while ago. The explosive devise was said to have been placed in a Phone booth.

Ten terrorists killed

At least ten terrorists were killed in clashes today (January 08) ahead of the Wanni defences, when troops forced into non-liberated territory at Mullikulama and Periyathampanae.The strikes were launched as effective response measures to LTTE elements, in keeping with the government's intention to salvage entrapped Tamil civilians from the grip of the terrorist outfit, Army said.

Meanwhile, Air force said, precision aerial raids were conducted at a pre-identified LTTE nerve center located North of Palampiddi, Mullikulama, this morning at 9.20.

Pilots confirmed that the LTTE base was destroyed following the attack. Terrorist casualty figures were not immediately available, sources further added.

Minister D.M Dassanayake succumbs

Non-cabinet Nation Building Minister, D.M Dassanayake succumbed to injuries short while ago at the Ragama Teaching Hospital, hospital sources said.

Speaking to defence.lk, the Deputy Director of the Ragama Teaching Hospital said, the Minister sustained severe injuries due to the claymore explosion and he succumbed around 12.25 p.m while being treated at Intensive Care Unit at Ragama hospital.

Claymore explosion

A claymore bomb has been triggered off targeting a VIP motorcade carrying a non-cabinet minister of Nation Building, D.M Dassanayake, at Ja-Ela around 10.35 this morning, January 08.

According to the available information the motorcade was plying towards Colombo along the Negombo - Colombo (A-3) main road when the explosion occurred near the Rukmani Devi junction, defence sources said.

LTTE's 'military' intelligence head killed in ambush

Head of LTTE's 'military' intelligence wing Shanmuganathan Ravishankar, alias Charles was reported killed along with three other terrorists following an ambush by Sri Lanka elite forces, in the general area North of Mannar, last evening (January 05), said the defence sources.

Charles was known to be another self-styled colonel of the terrorist outfit and the deputy to Pottu Amman, the chief of LTTE's intelligence wing.

According to the sources, the army elites had ambushed a vehicle movement carrying Charles and his companions. A senior defence official told defence.lk that the attack was carried out with accurate ground information received from LTTE dominated Wanni region.
Charles the Man behind many massacres :

Shanmuganathan Ravishankar alias Charles was one of the most dangerous criminals who had planned most of the civilian massacres and terrorist attacks in the Island's south. The most heinous civilian massacre planned and executed by Charles was the bombing of Central Bank, Colombo in 1996. In this attack, 86 civilians were killed and over 1400 others suffered injuries.

According to defence intelligence sources, terror chief V. Prabhakaran had presented a "Pajero" jeep to Charles for his success in the Central Bank bomb attack . Charles was also known to have involved in terrorist attacks at Kolonnawa Fuel storage, Kelanithissa Power plant, JOC bomb in Colombo, and assassinations of key political figures and armed forces personnel in the country.

Further, it has been reported that Charles had been able to win the confidence of V. Prabhakaran due to his specialised knowledge in Colombo. According to intelligence reports , he was the principal handler of the terrorist network in Colombo and was the person who used to brief plans of terrorists' attacks in the South to the LTTE leader. Also, he was the person in charge of luring suitable security forces' members to act as moles for the terrorists outfit.

However, defence.lk through its sources from Wanni has learnt that there had been a long standing status conflict between Pottu Amman and Charles. Pottu Amman being senior to Charles in the outfit said to have become jealous of Charles for his ability to win confidence of the terrorist leader. Just before the 2002 ceasefire, Prabhakaran had to move Charles to Batticaloa due to the rising hostility between his two intelligence leaders. It was only in 2005; Prabhakan could bring Charles back to Wanni.

Wanni sources further say that the loss of Charles is a far greater loss to LTTE than it had suffered when it lost its political head S.P. Thamilchelvam in November last year.