Clashes kill 22, injure 113 in Sri Lanka

Heavy fighting broke out Wednesday between Sri Lanka's government troops and the Tamil Tiger rebels in the island country's northern Jaffna peninsula, killing 22 soldiers and injuring 113 others, said the military.

The Media Center for National Security said in a statement that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) launched massive attacks against the Security Forces at Muhammalai during early hours on Wednesday and the troops were forced to retaliate.

"During the retaliations 22 soldiers sacrificed their lives whilst 113 being wounded," said the statement, adding that a large number of tigers were killed in the battle.

The statement said the Air Force and Navy also participated in the fighting to neutralize and destroy identified LTTE concentrations and reinforcements by the sea.

The pro-rebel website Tamilnet reported that the Army launched ground troop-movement into LTTE controlled territory at Muhammalai and Kilali with heavy artillery and rocket fire early Wednesday.

Both the government and LTTE said they have informed the Nordic truce monitoring group, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), about the clashes.

The latest clashes erupted as the rebels on Tuesday evening told the Norwegian peace facilitators that they would be ready to have face to face talks with the government on Oct. 28 and 29 in Switzerland.

The rebel statement said that they had warned the Norwegians that all military offensives by the government must cease if the LTTE are to attend the late October talks.

The rebels charge the military of planning for a major offensive in the north after heavy fighting broke out between the two sides mid-August.

The fighting was the worst since the February 2002 cease-fire came into force. Pleas by the international community on both sides to return to the process of negotiations have been of no avail.

Both sides accuse the other of launching military action. More than 200,000 civilians were displaced by the battles in the north and east.

Source: Xinhua