New LTTE leader dies in clash with SL army

Following a confrontation with the Sri Lanka Army in Vavuniya on Thursday late night, former LTTE member and emerging leader Gobi was killed along with two others, local media reported.

Army spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya said that when soldiers had confronted Gobi and two other former LTTE cadres, who were armed, a gunfire exchange had taken position.

Among the three former rebels killed, one of them had been identified as Appan alongside Gobi.

Since the end of war in May 2009, this is the first time that a clash between the army and LTTE members had taken place.

Gobi and Appan, who were involved in an effort to revive the LTTE movement in Sri Lanka had been covering in the jungles of Nedhunkerni and a massive search operation had been set up by the army in the north recently to dig them.

A reward of Rs1 million had been tendered by the Sri Lanka Police for any information leading to the arrest of Kajadeepan Selvanayagam alias Gobi.

The government recently had informed the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that under Gobi, the LTTE was regrouping in the North.
Terrorist Investigations Division (TID) had earlier recovered an arms cache including mortar and RPG type live ammunition, 3 hand grenades, 2.5 kg claymore bomb and ammunition for T56 weapons.

UNHRC had been told that after the recovery of the weapons, a team of Police Officers had moved to the residence of Tamil activist Balendran Jeyakumar in Kilinochchi to apprehend Gobi upon a lead obtained, and Gobi had fired at the police injuring a sub-inspector and escaped.
Post-mortem was held at Anuradhapura General Hospital on Saturday.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.