நாகர் கோவில் முன்னரங்க நிலைகளில் கடுமையான சண்டை தற்போது நடைபெறுவதாக சொல்லப்படுகின்றது. சேத விபரங்கள் பற்றிய ஊர்ஜிதமான தகவல்கள் தெரியவில்லை

Military says battle kills 15 Tamil rebels, 2 soldiers in Sri Lanka's north

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2008-01-21 06:23:07 -

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - Government soldiers attacked Tamil Tiger rebel bunkers across the front lines in Sri Lanka's embattled north Monday, triggering a battle that killed 15 guerrillas and two soldiers, the military said.

Backed by artillery and mortar fire, soldiers pushed into rebel-held territory in the northern Jaffna Peninsula and destroyed 24 rebel

bunkers early Monday, said military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara.

He said the battle lasted for about on hour and killed 15 rebels and two soldiers. Nine soldiers were wounded, he said.

There was no immediate comment from the rebels.

It was not possible to independently verify the military's claims because the fighting took place deep in the northern jungles, where access is restricted. Both sides often release inflated casualty figures for their opponents while lowering their own.

Violence has intensified in the Indian Ocean island nation since the government announced early this month that it was scrapping a six-year-old cease-fire between the government and rebels, a pact that had largely been ignored in recent years. The truce officially ended last Wednesday.

At least 36 insurgents and one government soldier were killed in weekend clashes across the island's restive northern region, a flashpoint in the country's ethnic, separatist war.

Senior military officials have vowed to dismantle the rebels' de facto state in parts of the north this year, and to then hunt down the remaining rebels fighting in the jungle.

More than 400 people have been killed in renewed violence across the country since the government withdrew from the truce, according to military figures.

The Tigers have been fighting since 1983 for an independent state in the north and east for the country's ethnic Tamil minority after decades of being marginalized by Sinhalese-dominated governments. The fighting has killed more than 70,000 people

வடபோர்முனையான யாழ். கிளாலி, முகமாலை, நாகர்கோவில் முன்னரண் பகுதிகளில் சிறிலங்காப் படையினர் இன்று மேற்கொண்ட முன்நகர்வு முயற்சிகள் தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகளால் முறியடிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன.

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