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63 killed as Sri Lanka fighting rages
Sri Lankan soldiers and sailors killed 63 Tamil Tiger rebels on a second day of fierce combat in the north of the Indian Ocean island nation, the military said on Friday. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they had repulsed an army advance, killed 25 troops and wounded 40 in Vannirakulam, the site of heavy fighting for weeks, pro-rebel web site www.tamilnet.com quoted unnamed rebel officials as saying. There was no independent confirmation of the casualties from Thursday's battles, which followed one of the single bloodiest days of fighting since the military cranked up an offensive drive three months ago. At least 71 were killed on Wednesday. Most of Thursday's fighting occurred near Nachikkudah, a northwestern port about 300 km north of that was the site of fierce land and sea clashes that the military said killed 25 "Sea Tigers" and another 17 rebels. Eighteen were wounded. In the same clashes, five soldiers died and 14 were wounded. Fighting at various points further east killed another 20 rebels, and one was killed in the far northern Jaffna Peninsula, the military said. Three soldiers were killed and two were wounded, the military said. Defensive: Tamil Tigers risk losing their mini-state as Sri Lankan forces make a determined push after decades of bloodshed. After months of bitter fighting, security forces have reached the outskirts of the Tiger political capital - Kilinochchi - the six-kilometre long township along the main A-9 highway to the Jaffna peninsula. Aid workers who evacuated Kilinochchi this week - in line with a government order to leave ahead of an expected military show down - said bombs and artillery shells were landing just within the political offices of the Tigers. "The military advance is getting closer to Kilinochchi and the Tigers may simply melt away," an aid official who declined to be named said soon after leaving the north. Sri Lanka's top brass had said they want to take Kilinochchi before the end of the year, but defence analysts argue that it must be done sooner as monsoon rains could intensify and render heavy armour ineffective from about October. For the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Kilinochchi is the showpiece town where they hosted visiting foreign dignitaries and peace brokers. The Tigers also maintain their 'police headquarters,' their 'high courts' and their 'Bank of Eelam' which functions as the quasi-monetary authority of the de facto separate state within Sri Lanka. Posted by: Fred 2008-09-20 |
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