Military

18 Tamil rebels dead in Sri Lankan aerial raids

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, March 1, IRNA
Sri Lanka-LTTE-Aerial Raids
Continuing its offensive against Tamil rebels, Sri Lankan jets today bombed suspected Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) positions in the island's northeast, killing 18 people.

The aerial raids were conducted by MIG jets on a rebel training camp in Vavuniya, PTI reported here quoting Defence Ministry sources who didn't give further details.

Sri Lanka has intensified attacks on LTTE after the rebels fired mortars at two helicopters carrying foreign diplomats and a government minister to the restive eastern Batticaloa district on Tuesday.

The navy yesterday attacked a rebel flotilla in the eastern waters, destroying two of the boats.

In another incident, naval patrol boats fired at and sank a large vessel believed to have been carrying arms for the rebels. At least 15 separatists are believed to have died in the two incidents.

Over 60,000 people have died in the decades-long struggle for independence waged by the LTTE. With the surge in fighting since December 2005, over 3,800 lives have been lost on both sides.

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