LTTE denies Prabhakaran was injured in Lanka air raid

When asked about the state of health of Prabhakaran, the spokesman merely said, “He is eating well. I met brother (Prabhakaran) three days ago.”

On the attacks by Sri Lanka Air Force and the Army, the LTTE representative said there was an attack on November 27 on the Voice of Tigers (VOT) Radio station and one on November 28. “I don’t remember the one on November 26. Since there is a confrontation almost every day, we can’t say and don’t generally keep a count.”

Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror in a report quoting military intelligence said the LTTE supremo may have suffered only a minor bruise in his right shoulder during the Sri Lankan Air Force attack last month.

“The underground bunker, in which Prabhakaran was hiding at the time, was partially destroyed. During this attack, part of the camouflaged bunker at his safe house situated in a housing scheme, had fallen on Prabhakaran’s right shoulder, injuring him,” the newspaper said.

“It is said that when the Air Force bombed Iruthirampuram, it did so only after ground reports claimed of a possible gathering at this particular spot,” the daily said.

It claimed both the attacks against LTTE’s late political head S P Thamilselvan and the one against Prabhakaran were the result of civilian information.

“People even in Kilinochchi are now reportedly having close links with the armed forces,” it said.

“The military intelligence confirmed that the killing of Thamilselvan and the targeting of the LTTE leader’s hideout in Jayanthinagar in Kilinochchi on November 26, where latest reports revealed Prabhakaran was in that hideout, were based on information given by the civilians in uncleared areas.”

Concerned over the inability to identify the informants, LTTE intelligence is now reportedly trying to locate civilians, who were having links with the military.

The Sri Lankan government had on Wednesday stated that acting on reliable intelligence, the Air Force carried out a successful air strike targeting Prabhakaran on November 26.

“Intelligence sources confirmed that Velupillai Prabhakaran had sustained injuries in the strike carried out by four attack aircraft of the Sri Lanka Air Force on a bunker complex in Jayanthinagar,” the Media Centre for National Security said in a statement.

Attack aircraft of the Air Force carried out another air strike on the same target on November 28, the daily said adding, “The Air Force confirmed that the target was successfully destroyed amidst heavy LTTE surface-to-air fire power aimed at the Sri Lanka Air Force aircraft.”

Subsequent to the attack, the Air Force monitored movements around the target trying to clear the debris.

“Though the Air Force believed that Velupillai Prabhakaran had been injured in the attack, non-availability of ground information to confirm this at the time prevented the government from releasing this information to the media,” the paper said.

It said since the military commenced deep penetration missions inside the LTTE-held areas, almost all the leaders of the rebel outfit, including Prabhakaran, limited their movements and stayed in areas which were highly populated.

“This trend of targeting the LTTE hierarchy by the armed forces has continued in the last few months with an increase of attacks on LTTE vehicles and leaders by the military’s deep penetration unit members,” it said.

According to the military intelligence, with the successful military operations in the eastern province and due to the difficulties prevailing in the Wanni region, civilians are now providing information to the military. “In the recent past, the Tigers had recruited over 1000 people, including underage children and elders, and due to this many civilians have fallen out with the LTTE,” the report said.

With the growing threat to Prabhakaran’s life, his movements have been restricted, and his wife Mathivathani Prabhakaran made a rare public appearance on December 16.

Reports stated that Mathivathani inaugurated a new hostel block in an elders’ home in Kilinochchi. The military believes that Prabhakaran had sent his wife for this event as his representative.