Sri Lanka's Tiger Rebels Attacks Govt Forces Despite Truce OfferSri Lanka's separatist Tamil Tiger rebels on Wednesday launched a mortar-fire attack on government troops in the Jaffna peninsula in the north of the country, killing two soldiers and wounding another, a government statement said.It said that the clash took place at Eluthumadduval, the army's southern-most defense position on the peninsula. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels also fired mortars against government soldiers around 10:30 a.m. at Nunavil West on Tuesday in the north but there were no casualties, it said. In two other clashed with LTTE rebels on the same day government forces killed at least three rebels but lost one soldier. On Monday at the dawn of the Christmas Day, the LTTE rebels lobbed a hand grenade at government troops in Kaithady area in the north, injuring one soldier. The attack came only hours after the rebels' one-month unilateral ceasefire came into effect. The LTTE rebels declared on Thursday that they will start a month-long ceasefire on the eve of Christmas Day on Sunday "as a goodwill measure to facilitate the peace process." However, the government responded the LTTE ceasefire offer on Saturday by saying it will consider a ceasefire only after peace negotiations between the government and the LTTE rebels proceed to the mutual satisfaction of both sides. In two consecutive days after LTTE's ceasefire offer government forces launched massive attacks against the Tiger rebels in the northern Jaffna peninsula, inflicting heavy casualties to the rebels and recapturing 34 kilometers of land. The LTTE rebels have been fighting since 1983 for a separate Tamil state in the north and east of the country. In the past they have entered peace negotiations with the government several times but they violated agreements with the government and resumed fighting soon after. |
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