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66 more killed in Lanka fighting
At least 56 Tamil Tiger rebels and 10 government soldiers were killed in fresh fighting in northern Sri Lanka yesterday, the army said.About 40 soldiers and 90 rebels were wounded in the battles outside Kilinochchi, the besieged political capital of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the military statement said. The latest clashes came a day after the Tigers said they killed 60 soldiers and wounded 150 in a counter attack on the outskirts of Kilinochchi over the weekend. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they had re-taken positions from government forces who have been closing in on the northern town of Kilinochchi, the Tigers' political capital. The pro-rebel Tamilnet website quoted Tiger officials saying that they had killed 60 soldiers and wounded another 150 in Saturday's fighting. The rebels also claimed they had captured the bodies of 12 soldiers. The Tigers did not give details of their own casualties, but the defence ministry said the guerrillas suffered "heavy damages" when troops hit back. The defence ministry rejected rebel claims of high military losses and placed security force casualties at 13 soldiers killed and 40 wounded. Both sides are known to make exaggerated claims about the casualties they have inflicted on each other, and independent verification is virtually impossible as journalists and aid workers are barred from the conflict area. Sri Lanka's military also carried out air attacks against suspected Tamil Tiger targets earlier on Monday to support ground troops, the statement said. Posted by: Fred 2008-12-23 |
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