Jump to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

கருத்துக்களம்

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

Rebels say break through Sri Lanka govt lines-(Reuters)

Featured Replies

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels said on Saturday they had broken through army defenses in the island's far north and were advancing on the government-held Jaffna peninsula, in the fiercest fighting since a 2002 truce.

The Tigers said they had pushed through a no-man's land that separates rebel and government territory, destroyed army checkpoints on the other side and were advancing along the main A9 artery road that connects the peninsula to their stronghold.

The military said it had lost communications with its troops in the area and Nordic truce monitors said they had no details.

"We have completely destroyed the army checkpoints at the Muhamalai (border) crossing, and we are advancing on Jaffna," a Tiger official at the rebel Voice of Tigers radio station told Reuters, asking not to be named.

He said the rebels' feared Sea Tiger wing had attacked just south of Jaffna town and assaulted a navy base at the island's northern tip before dawn, and that residents who live along the path of the Tiger advance had been told to leave immediately.

Around 40,000 troops are stationed in Jaffna, which is cut off from the rest of the island by rebel territory.

The Tigers rained artillery on the strategic eastern port of Trincomalee, a vital maritime army supply line to Jaffna, before dawn.

Sri Lanka's Tamils consider Jaffna their cultural homeland, and analysts say the Tigers are intent on recapturing it.

A Reuters witness in Jaffna, where the army has declared an indefinite curfew keeping residents in their homes, heard a fierce exchange of artillery fire to the east, and said electricity to the town had died.

Around 40,000 troops are stationed in Jaffna, which is cut off from the rest of the island by rebel territory.

The Tigers rained artillery on the strategic eastern port of Trincomalee, a vital maritime army supply line to Jaffna, before dawn.

Sri Lanka's Tamils consider Jaffna their cultural homeland, and analysts say the Tigers are intent on recapturing it.

A Reuters witness in Jaffna, where the army has declared an indefinite curfew keeping residents in their homes, heard a fierce exchange of artillery fire to the east, and said electricity to the town had died.

The Tigers have long demanded a separate homeland for ethnic Tamils in the north and east of Sri Lanka but President Mahinda Rajapakse has ruled this out. The rebels say any return to stalled peace talks is a distant prospect

Thanks logo.gif

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.