 |
Sri Lankan Forces Recaptures Rebel-Held Area in Fierce Fighting
Sri Lankan government forces recaptured a rebel-held area in their first offensive since last month against the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in the northern Jaffna peninsula Sunday, a military spokesman said.
The spokesman said government forces launched the attack in the early hours of Sunday with the support of artillery and mortars. After a few hours' fighting, troops recaptured approximately six square kilometers of area between Madduvil and A-9 highway near Chavakachcheri in the northern Jaffna peninsula.
He said seven soldiers were killed and 27 others including four officers were wounded in the fighting. Troops had recovered the bodies of 10 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels, he added.
Chavakachcheri, the second largest town in the Jaffna peninsula, was recaptured by troops during a series of military offensives before the October 10 parliamentary elections.
However, the Tamil Tiger rebels still control most of the A-9 highway which links Chavakachcheri to Jaffna city 15 kilometers to the west.
The fresh military attack against LTTE rebels is the first since Norwegian peace envoy Erik Solheim met LTTE leader Prabhakaran late last month in his jungle hideout in the north, the rebel leader offered unconditional talks with the government during the meeting.
President Chandrika Kumaratunga said at the opening of the 11th Parliament earlier this month that military action against the LTTE will not stop until all parties involved in the talks reach a consensus on a negotiated settlement to the 17-year ethnic war.
The LTTE rebels have been fighting against government forces for a separate state for minority Tamils in the country's north and east since 1983.
In This Section
|