July 28 (Bloomberg) -- Sri Lankan troops captured a Tamil Tiger satellite base in the country's north and seriously wounded a rebel commander in separate fighting, the Defense Ministry said. Soldiers secured the Sugandan base north of Kiriibbanwewa in the jungles of Mullaittiuvu yesterday following days of ``heavy confrontations'' with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eeelam, the ministry said on its Web site.
An LTTE area leader, identified as Veandan, was wounded during a failed rebel offensive north of Janakapura, according to the statement. The LTTE didn't immediately comment on the incidents on its Web site.
Sri Lanka's army is driving LTTE forces from camps in the north after capturing the eastern region a year ago in the worst defeat for the rebels in their 25-year fight for a separate homeland. The LTTE, which is designated a terrorist organization by India, the U.S. and the European Union, has declared a 10-day cease-fire to coincide with a summit meeting of South Asian leaders in Colombo later this week.
| And because they're getting their butts kicked by the Lankan Army ... |
President Mahinda Rajapaksa said July 13 his government is ready for talks with the LTTE if the rebels disarm. |