• Military Menu                       

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

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

78 Tamil Tigers killed in deadliest clashes in Sri Lanka

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, Apr 14, IRNA
Sri Lanka-LTTE-Army
At least 78 LTTE militants and 10 Sri Lankan soldiers have been killed in some of the deadliest clashes in the island's embattled north since the scrapping of a tattered ceasefire by the government in January.

According to Indian official media report, the Tamil Tigers, however, claimed that least 30 soldiers were killed and 75 wounded after the military tried to storm rebel lines in north western Mannar.

Troops confronted several groups of LTTE militants in areas of Udaiyadi, Kattankulam, Puliyankulam, Ilanthaivan, Malikaittidal and Vannakulam in northwestern Mannar, leaving 66 LTTE cadres dead and injured 30 others on Saturday, the army said on Sunday.

"Troops conducted offensives to capture LTTE bunker line in those areas amidst heavy resistance of the terrorists who used maximum fire power in defence of their strongholds," it said.

"However, soldiers overpowered terrorist resistance and killed 66 terrorists so far while over 30 were reportedly injured," the army said in a statement.

Nine soldiers were killed and 32 injured during the mission, it said.

The military's fresh offensive came barely a week after the killing of a powerful Sri Lankan Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, chief whip of the ruling United People's Freedom Party, in a suicide attack by LTTE in Grampaha, about 25 kms from Colombo.

At least 2,800 rebels and 165 soldiers have been killed since Colombo dumped the 2002 ceasefire with LTTE in January accusing the LTTE of consistently violating it.

LTTE military spokesman Irasiah Illanthirayan, however, claimed that least 30 Sri Lankan soldiers and three LTTE cadres were killed.

The rebels thwarted army's attempt to advance in Kokkuth-thoduvaay in Ma'nalaa'ru, he said.

The military claimed two LTTE cadres were killed in Ibbanwewa area of North-east Welioya on Saturday and one rebel was gunned down in Janakpura in the region on the same day.

Also, two militants were killed by the army soldiers in a clash at Ibbanwewa.

Five militants were shot dead in a fierce attack launched by troops on Saturday in the Sinnayavellankaddukulam area of Vavuniya, the military said.

Separately, troops killed two tiger militants in Muhamalai area of Jaffna peninsula on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the security forces lost a soldier when LTTE rebels threw a hand grenade at an army picket point at Nelliadi in Jaffna on Saturday, the Media Center for National Security (MCNS) said adding a soldier was also injured in the incident.

2160**1412