59 Division troops have entered the Mulliawalai township along the A-34 Oddusudan- Mullaittivu main road claiming soaring LTTE casualties after hours of heavy fighting that broke-out between troops and LTTE in the tactically important battle terrain since last evening (Dec 25).According to latest reports received from the battlefield, 16 Sri Lanka Light Infantry (16SLLI) regiment troops are now engaged in a fierce gun battle with LTTE in the area, today(Dec 26). Troops had to come across difficult ground where mobility was seriously limited, area military sources said. Terrorists have constructed long stretches of earth bunds, which were successfully negotiated by the advancing infantry battalions, the sources added.Earlier, on Thursday (25) soldiers captured an LTTE communication tower located North of Mulliyawali. According to Army media sources, "3 fortified overhead bunkers constructed in defence of the tower with a height of about 40 ft showed its significance to the LTTE in maintaining communication between their bases".An LTTE terrorist body and a communication set were also recovered by the troops from the same area during clearing operations conducted subsequent to the confrontations, yesterday.Terrorist resistances in Mullaittivu are disintegrating with the intense military amour, artillery and infantry assaults, Wanni defences sources said adding that the 7GW troops have also closed-in on Tanniyuttu, an LTTE stronghold located 3.5km further Northeast along the A-34 main road. The advancing troops were also assisted with close-combat air support provided by the SLAF jets and MI-24 helicopter gunships, military sources said. Terrorists being cutoff of both reinforcements and logistic supplies are receiving heavy beating from the advancing military flanks either side of the Eastern Mullaittivu battlefront. The capture of Mulliyawalai is expected to trigger the fall of Tanniyuttu, defence observes stated. The fall of Tanniyuttu is inevitable and this marks history with an expected double blow to LTTE in the 'boxing-day', and the fourth year commemoration of the 2004 Tsunami.Meanwhile, security forces have now gained control over a 9km stretch of the A-34 main road, along the Oddusudan- Mullaittivu main road. This is the first time ever that security forces have entered into the fringes of Mulliyawali and its outskirts, defence observers stated.More information will follow.