• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

98 Tigers killed as Lankan forces repulse offensive

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, Aug 18, IRNA
SLanka-LTTE-Fighting
At least 98 Tamil Tigers were killed and about 100 wounded when government forces repulsed a major rebel attack on Sri Lanka's northern Jaffna peninsula that also left at least nine soldiers dead.

Troops prevented the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from capturing a defence line at Kilali on the southern sector of the peninsula, 300 km from the capital, PTI report said here quoting media minister Anura Yapa.

He did not give troop casualties, but military sources said at least nine soldiers, including two officers, were killed and 60 more wounded in some of the most fierce battles that erupted since the 2002 ceasefire.

The direct combat came a day after President Mahinda Rajapakse said the door was open to LTTE for peace talks.

Defence spokesman Upali Rajapakse said the military has "successfully repulsed" the offensive by the rebels, who launched the sea-borne attack on army positions at Kilali in the wee hours.

The LTTE offensive was led by the group's sea tiger leader Soosai, sources said.

A spokesman for the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) said the monitors' housing was almost hit when the area came under heavy shelling for hours since last evening.

According to Defence spokesman Rajapakse, at least 700 Tigers and 106 government troops have been killed, and upto 600 rebels and about 170 soldiers wounded since August 11, when LTTE stepped up efforts to retake Jaffna. PTI

Meanwhile, Steven Mann, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. State Department, who arrived in Colombo on an unscheduled visit, called on Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and exchanged views on the current situation.

After a two-hour meeting with Rajapakse, Mann called for immediate cessation of hostilities in the island nation.

"The LTTE has a clear, direct and immediate responsibility to cease all acts of violence," Mann said in an interaction with a select group of journalists.

He said the Bush Administration is seriously concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka and would like all sides to give full support to the NGOs on the ground to undertake relief operations.

He said the U.S. expects all sides to make "compromises for a political solution to the ethnic conflict within a united Sri Lanka".

2160/1420