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| Sri Lanka |
| Sri Lankan commandoes capture 'Tora Bora' |
| 2007-07-10 |
| Sri Lankan army commandoes seized a massive rocky plateau nicknamed “Tora Bora” and searched through grassy fields and brush looking for as many as 200 Tamil Tiger rebels, the military said Monday. The operation could result in eastern Sri Lanka coming under government control by the end of the month - the first time since 1994 - a military commander said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Government forces have cleared the rebels from much of eastern Sri Lanka and are now pushing to seize the eastern rebel bastion of Thoppigala, parts of which has been nicknamed “Tora Bora” after the famous mountain in Afghanistan known for militancy. Separately, soldiers found 15 anti-personnel mines buried near Thoppigala during a search for insurgents on Sunday, said an officer at the Defense Ministry’s media center. The mines were later defused, the officer said on condition of anonymity in line with policy. The recovery on Sunday came as fighter jets pounded rebel mortar positions in Thoppigala. Airstrikes hit four guerrilla mortar positions, but there were no casualty figures to report, the media center. The rebels’ military spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan was not available for an immediate comment. |
| Posted by:Fred |