Clashes between Sri Lanka's military and rebel fighters killed at least 33 soldiers in the militants' headquarters district of Kilinochchi, the biggest loss in six months, the government said.
The fighting, which started Oct. 18, also left 11 rebels dead and injured 48 soldiers, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement on its Web site today. Three soldiers were reported missing, the department said. Soldiers also captured the rebel- held village of Vannerikulam in the western part of Kilinochci yesterday, after months of fighting, according to the statement.
Sri Lankan soldiers overran the ``last major'' Tamil Tiger fortification in the Kilinochchi area in the Oct. 18 offensive, the ministry said yesterday. Soldiers attacked from east and west of Akkarayankulam, in the district's south, capturing 19 bunkers in a 3-kilometer (1.9-mile) stretch of the rebel territory.
Thousands of civilians have left their homes in the past four months as the army advanced toward the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam headquarters, in the Wanni area, in an attempt to end a 25-year conflict. The Tamil Tigers, who are fighting for a separate homeland, were driven from Eastern Province last year and now hold bases only in Northern Province.
At least 43 soldiers and about 100 LTTE fighters were killed in clashes on April 23 in the northern Jaffna Peninsula.
Mines, Mortars
Sri Lankan soldiers carried out operations today against the rebels in four other regions near the Kilinochchi district, including Chinnakkonailai and Manniyakulam. ``During these operations, 12 soldiers sustained injuries due to mine explosions and mortar fire,'' the ministry said.
In the two northern districts of Vavuniya and Mullaittivu soldiers attacked LTTE members, and troops confirmed ``heavy damage to the terrorists,'' according to the statement.
The army was within 2 kilometers of the rebels' headquarters in Kilinochchi town, Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said on Oct. 5.
India is concerned about the plight of civilians displaced by the fighting in northern Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Oct. 18 after a telephone conversation with Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
In order to address the humanitarian situation, ``continued and uninterrupted relief supplies'' need to be ensured for the displaced people, Singh said, according to an e-mailed statement.
The southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu is home to some 73,000 Sri Lankan refugees, most of them ethnic Tamils, according to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
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The fighting, which started Oct. 18, also left 11 rebels dead and injured 48 soldiers, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement on its Web site today. Three soldiers were reported missing, the department said. Soldiers also captured the rebel- held village of Vannerikulam in the western part of Kilinochci yesterday, after months of fighting, according to the statement.
Sri Lankan soldiers overran the ``last major'' Tamil Tiger fortification in the Kilinochchi area in the Oct. 18 offensive, the ministry said yesterday. Soldiers attacked from east and west of Akkarayankulam, in the district's south, capturing 19 bunkers in a 3-kilometer (1.9-mile) stretch of the rebel territory.
Thousands of civilians have left their homes in the past four months as the army advanced toward the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam headquarters, in the Wanni area, in an attempt to end a 25-year conflict. The Tamil Tigers, who are fighting for a separate homeland, were driven from Eastern Province last year and now hold bases only in Northern Province.
At least 43 soldiers and about 100 LTTE fighters were killed in clashes on April 23 in the northern Jaffna Peninsula.
Mines, Mortars
Sri Lankan soldiers carried out operations today against the rebels in four other regions near the Kilinochchi district, including Chinnakkonailai and Manniyakulam. ``During these operations, 12 soldiers sustained injuries due to mine explosions and mortar fire,'' the ministry said.
In the two northern districts of Vavuniya and Mullaittivu soldiers attacked LTTE members, and troops confirmed ``heavy damage to the terrorists,'' according to the statement.
The army was within 2 kilometers of the rebels' headquarters in Kilinochchi town, Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said on Oct. 5.
India is concerned about the plight of civilians displaced by the fighting in northern Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Oct. 18 after a telephone conversation with Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
In order to address the humanitarian situation, ``continued and uninterrupted relief supplies'' need to be ensured for the displaced people, Singh said, according to an e-mailed statement.
The southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu is home to some 73,000 Sri Lankan refugees, most of them ethnic Tamils, according to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
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