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'Tamil held town to fall soon'
An eastern stronghold of Sri Lankas Tamil Tiger rebels will likely fall to the military soon following weeks of fighting that has forced thousands of civilians to flee, a brigadier said on Friday. Vakarai, the scene of intense artillery battles with the Tigers since November, is the last major rebel-held town on the east coast after the military drove them out of territory near the strategic port of Trincomalee further north. Its a matter of time now. It could be days, or weeks, but we will get there, Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe, the top military spokesman, told Reuters in a interview. The only thing holding us back is the fear of civilian casualties; they are using them as human shields, he said. Analysts said the offensive on Vakarai was a key step in the governments plan to clear the Tigers from the east. Once the rebels are pushed out, the government plans to hold local elections that a faction of renegade rebels opposed to the Tigers and aligned to the military are expected to win. Posted by: Fred 2006-12-30 |
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