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Sri Lankan troops kill 18 rebels
COLOMBO (AFP) Sri Lankan troops killed 18 Tamil Tiger rebels during ground and air assaults on their northern mini-state, the defence ministry said Sunday. One solider was also killed during the heavy fighting that broke out on Saturday just outside the Tiger's political capital of Kilinochchi, the ministry said in a statement. Casualty figures cannot be verified as the ministry blocks journalists from travelling to the frontlines.There was no immediate comment from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who have been fighting for a separate state for ethnic minority Tamils since 1972 in a drawn-out conflict that has killed thousands. Having wrested the east from the Tigers in July 2007, troops are just outside the northern Kilinochchi, which has been the LTTE's administrative centre for the past decade. Posted by: Steve White 2008-10-12 |
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