Colombo, Dec 6 (UNI) Dispelling fears that the ongoing sporadic claymore blast incidents in the Jaffna peninsula would drag the country back into a full scale bloody ethnic war, Sri Lanka"s new Army Chief, Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka today declared that thearmy "is prepared to face any threat posed by the LTTE".
"Even now we can meet the LTTE threat.
We are very confident of it.
The LTTE is not a formidable force and we can face them without any problem.
We are ready for any situation," Lt Gen Fonseka told reporters after assuming duties as Lanka"s 18th Army Commander at the Army Headquarters here, this morning.
Coincidentally, it was shortly after he assumed duties that a claymore mine attack by the suspected LTTE cadres killed seven army soldiers including an officer in the Jaffna peninsula.
The incident occurred when the tractor carrying the soldiers came under the mine attack at Irupalai in the Nallur area on the Jaffna-Point pedro main highway in Jaffna.
This is the second such attack in the heavily guarded Jaffna peninsula within the past 48 hours.
During the first incident on Sunday another seven soldiers were killed when the tractor trailer they were traveling came under a claymore mine attack on the Palaly-Jaffna main highway in the Jaffna peninsula.
Commenting on the serious incidents, the battle hardened new Army Chief said that although the LTTE had denied their involvements in the attacks, the army strongly suspected them.
"We suspect the LTTE as there is nobody else capable of carrying out such attacks, but we don"t have hard proofs.
Firing of a couple of claymores or at a couple of soldiers should not lead to a conventional war of a very high magnitude," he added.
He, however, stressed the importance that the Sri Lankan army had to change war techniques, tactics and switched to modern weaponry to meet the ever increasing threats.
"All the armies in the world over the period of time have changed their tactics and techniques, and became more advanced.
we have been little slow and that"s why at times we are very vulnerable to very basic terrorist attacks," Gen Fonseka said.
He said that the existing ceasefire agreement with the LTTE had to be reviewed as "there are a lot of loopholes and shortcomings, which results in creating problems for the military in addressing certain issues".