Police Commandos Rescue Eight LTTE Child Soldiers - Kangikaidich

The elite cops of the Police Special Task Force (STF) on Tuesdays (August 28) rescued seven child combatants along with another 20 year old youth of the LTTE who had been forced to engage in a terrorist attack against the security forces in the Kangikaidichchi Aru area.

According to the STF sources, the commandos had rescued the group of young LTTE cadres comprising four girls and four boys when they had successfully intercepted a terrorist movement at a location close to 212 mile post on the Akkaraipattu- Pothuvil main road.

The group of terrorist had attacked the STF commandos who had been conducting a clearing operation in the area around 5 on Tuesday morning. The STF personnel had overpowered the terrorist attack successfully forcing the terrorists to flee in all directions.

During the subsequent search, STF personnel found eight fear stricken children who had been hiding in the jungle along with weapons and other military gear belonging to the LTTE.

On inquires, the children have revealed that they had come to attack the STF with a group consisting of some 50 other LTTE terrorists. The children have further said that the terrorists group had attacked the STF with rocket-propelled grenades and T-56 weapons during the firefight on Tuesday early morning.

STF officials told defence.lk that there are seven LTTE child soldiers, boys and girls between the ages 14 and 16 years and one cadre aged 20 years. It has been further revealed that all the rescued LTTE cadres had been forcibly recruited to the terrorist outfit at very young age. They told the STF that they had been abducted from their parents by the LTTE at different times, forcibly given arms training and put into combat.