| Submit your comments on this article |
| Sri Lanka |
| Sri Lanka claims capture of rebel fortifications |
| 2008-12-19 |
| COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankan forces captured critical Tamil Tiger fortifications protecting the rebels' de facto capital amid days of heavy clashes in the north, the government said Thursday. The seizure of the northwestern section of a 17-kilometer-long earth berm and ditch barrier around Kilinochchi could help clear the way for a final assault on the town and force the rebels to seek refuge in the rapidly shrinking area under their control in the northeast. Other sections of the lengthy fortification remain in rebel hands. The military has claimed for weeks that Kilinochchi's fall was "imminent," yet heavy rains and fierce resistance from the rebels has kept government forces from taking the town. A coordinated offensive against the town Tuesday sparked hours of fierce fighting, with the rebels claiming to have killed 170 soldiers, while the government said 120 rebels and 25 soldiers were killed. Both sides routinely exaggerate enemy casualties and underreport their own. |
| Posted by:Steve White |