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| Sri Lanka |
| 83 killed in fierce Lankan clashes |
| 2008-09-19 |
| Sri Lanka's military said yesterday it was moving closer to the northern headquarters of the Tamil Tigers, as fierce clashes in different locations left more than 83 dead. The main battle lines were around 11km west of Kilinochchi, with the latest fighting on Wednesday leaving at least 40 rebels and 10 soldiers dead, the defence ministry said. The military said they captured areas around a major irrigation tank. "Confident troops bravely resisted and directed hard blows on the enemy and chased them away," the ministry said. Elsewhere, the military said they killed 32 rebels for the loss of one soldier on Wednesday. The latest fighting raised the number of rebels killed by troops since January to 6,637, while 646 soldiers have died in combat, according to the ministry tally. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) did not comment on the claims. But the LTTE accused army commandos of setting off a roadside mine on Thursday targeting a passenger bus inside rebel territory, killing three civilians and wounding five, the pro-rebel Tamilnet.com website said. Security forces are now trying to take control of the rebels' political capital of Kilinochchi for the first time in 10 years. The rebels have warned that the large Wanni region, which comprises Kilinochchi and Mullaittivu towns, could turn into a mass graveyard for government troops. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse said this week that security forces hope to capture Kilinochchi by December. The army ejected the rebels from the east in July 2007. The defence ministry also said Thursday that its navy had destroyed a rebel boat in a sea battle off the northern coast of Nachchikudha. Earlier international aid workers on Wednesday evacuated Sri Lanka's north, where government forces are pursuing a major offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels, officials said. The pull-out, demanded by the island's authorities for security reasons, prompted fears for the fate of tens of thousands of Tamil civilians displaced by the military onslaught. The Sri Lankan government said its soldiers were just over five kilometres (three miles) from Kilinochchi, the political capital of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). |
| Posted by:Fred |