40 Killed in Government Offensive Against Tamil RebelsAt least 40 people were killed in a fresh offensive launched on Tuesday by the Sri Lankan government forces against separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in northern Jaffna peninsula, a military spokesman said.Spokesman Sanath Karunaratne said that 18 government soldiers were killed in the fighting and nearly 90 others injured. The bodies of 22 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels had been recovered, he added. This is the first military operation mounted by government forces against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels since the beginning of the new year. The attack followed Norwegian envoy Erik Solheim's vain attempt to revive peace process in the country during his two-day visit here last week. The LTTE rebels said in a statement from their London headquarters that they were putting up fierce resistance and warned that the latest government military action will intensify the war and seriously impair the current peace initiatives under Norwegian mediation. Government forces backed by tanks, heavy artillery and aircraft began their military operation at dawn Tuesday, trying to move toward the strategic Elephant Pass, an isthmus leading to the northern Jaffna peninsula. The Elephant Pass was lost to the LTTE rebels during fierce fighting between government forces and Tamil rebels in April last year. The fall of the Pass was seen as the worst defeat of the government forces in the 18-year bloody ethnic war. The LTTE rebels announced a one-month ceasefire starting from Christmas eve last year and wanted the government to reciprocate their truce offer. The government stressed that a ceasefire would be considered only after peace talks between the two sides head toward a settlement of the long-running ethnic war. The LTTE rebels have been fighting since 1983 against government forces in the north and east of the country for an independent homeland of minority Tamils. The rebels entered peace negotiations with the government several times in the past, but they were accused of violating agreements with the government and resumed fighting soon. |
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