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| Sri Lanka |
| Sri Lanka: More than 140 killed in fierce conflict in north |
| 2008-12-19 |
| (AKI) - Sporadic fighting was reported in northern Sri Lanka on Wednesday, a day after troops and separatist Tamil Tigers clashed in intense battles that left at least 140 dead and many others wounded.The Sri Lankan military said heavy fighting in the northern part of the island, a stronghold of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam reportedly left 120 rebels and 25 soldiers dead. Fierce conflict was reported on Tuesday in the region of the so-called rebel capital of Kilinochchi and government forces claimed attacks against rebel positions gave it control over a stretch of a land between Paranthan and Kilinochchi. The Defence Ministry said that security forces carried out simultaneous attacks against Tamil Tiger around Kilinochchi and on the Jaffna peninsula using ground troops and helicopter gunships. In a rare statement regarding casualties, the ministry said that 25 troops were killed, while another 10 were missing and 160 others were wounded. It estimated 120 Tigers were killed and 250 wounded. The Tiger Web site, TamilNet, however, claimed that 130 soldiers from the Sri Lanka Army were killed on Tuesday and another 300 were wounded in battles that raged on several fronts near Kilinochchi. The website also published photos of dead soldiers that they claimed were child recruits to counter government claims that the Tamil Tigers had been forcing children to join the rebels. The claims of either side could not be verified independently as the media is not allowed into the conflict areas. The LTTE has been fighting for a separate state for ethnic minority Tamils from the majority Sinhalese community since 1983. In January the Sri Lankan government pulled out of a 2002 Norwegian-brokered truce. |
| Posted by:Fred |