8 killed, 41 wounded in a fresh violence in Sri Lanka
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
New Delhi, Aug 28, IRNA
Sri Lanka-LTTE-Violence
Five Sri Lankan soldiers and three civilians were killed and 41 wounded on Monday in Sri Lanka's battle-torn northeast as troops mounted a fresh offensive against Tamil Tigers to offset any attack on a key naval facility.
Security forces fired artillery and mortar bombs towards Sampur, a town on the southern tip of the Koddiyar Bay in Trincomalee, which the rebels were using to hit the strategic Trincomalee naval facility, PTI report said here.
Local military officials said four soldiers were killed while 41 other were admitted to three hospitals in the restive region.
Helicopters were pressed into service for evacuating the soldiers who suffered mostly shrapnel wounds.
The naval facility is the starting point for cargo and troops travelling to the northern peninsula of Jaffna.
"The objective is to neutralize the heavy Tiger artillery pieces located at Sampur," an official said.
In another incident on Monday, three civilians were killed in a mine attack that was probably meant for troops, local military officials in Trincomalee said.
A soldier was shot dead and another wounded elsewhere in the island's northern town of Vavuniya on Monday as troops mounted the anti-Tiger drive in Trincomalee.
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