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| Sri Lanka |
| Fresh Lankan fighting kills 17 |
| 2008-09-29 |
| Fresh fighting around Sri Lanka's embattled northern region left 17 combatants dead on both sides, the defence ministry said yesterday. Troops killed 12 Tamil Tiger rebels during clashes on Saturday, while five soldiers also died in combat, the statement said. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) made no comment on the fighting. Sri Lankan troops are advancing to wrestle the rebels' political capital of Kilinochchi and are now within four kilometres (2.5 miles) of the town, army chief Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka said last week. The United Nations on Sunday said it would begin sending food convoys to Kilinochchi and Mullaittivu, after Sri Lanka ordered aid workers out of the region in the face of the heavy fighting. Mohamed Saleheen, head of the UN's World Food Programme in Sri Lanka, said 60 trucks would enter the rebel-held areas next week, to deliver badly needed supplies to some 230,000 displaced civilians. Colombo relaxed its stand after UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern about civilians during talks with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse in New York last week. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's military says a suicide bomber has blown himself up near a vehicle carrying policemen in a northern town, killing himself and a civilian and wounding eight others. Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara says separatist Tamil Tiger rebels were responsible for the attack Sunday in the town of Vavuniya. He says four police in the vehicle, three nearby soldiers and a civilian bystander were wounded. Rebel officials could not immediately be reached for comment. |
| Posted by:Fred |