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Sri Lankan Govt Forces Repulse Tamil Rebel Attacks in North
Sri Lankan government forces successfully repulsed separatist Tamil Tiger rebel attacks on their forward defense lines in northern Jaffna Peninsula on Saturday, according to reports Monday.
Sporadic fighting continued in the peninsula as rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fired small arms, mortars and artillery at government forces who withdrew to original positions earlier in the day when the latest offensive code named "Agni Kheeler" (Ball of Fire) was abandoned following heavy losses on both sides.
The Defense Ministry reported that the forces had destroyed rebel positions that threatened Jaffna defenses.
Military spokesman Brigadier Sanath Karunaratne said 190 Tiger rebels had been killed and 400 seriously injured during the three- day operation as against 213 government forces personnel killed and 1600 injured.
Fierce fighting between government forces and the LTTE rebels erupted in the northern Jaffna Peninsula on Wednesday, only hours after the rebels called off their unilateral four-month ceasefire, and continued till Friday.
The LTTE rebels have been fighting against government forces since 1983 for a separatist Tamil homeland in the north and east of the country. The bloody war has claimed over 60,000 lives.
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