The operation was launched to destroy a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) hideout in Ampekamam and liberate the area. According to the operational headquarters of the defence ministry, 30 terrorists were killed and several were injured in fierce fighting.

Troops have so far recovered 23 terrorist dead bodies along with 15 T56 weapons, one multi-purpose machine gun and 2 anti-tank mines. The defence ministry said 15 soldiers were killed and 61 were injured in the confrontation.

In a pre-dawn mid-sea battle on Friday, Lankan navy destroyed three sea tiger boats and killed 25 LTTE terrorists, defence sources said.

They said a flotilla of 12 boats was moving towards Mullaituvu when navy personnel challenged them. Inanother incident in Jaffna, two terrorists were killed and one committed suicide when security forces confronted them.

The sources further said that the troops were backed by armour, artillery and air force jets while a number of infantry regiments participated in the operation.