International   

Colombo claims 100 Tigers killed in latest Jaffna battle

B. Muralidhar Reddy

Civilians reeling under shortage of food and medical supplies

COLOMBO: The Sri Lanka Army on Sunday claimed that at least 100 cadres of the LTTE have been killed in latest clashes in Jaffna peninsula even as the life of ordinary citizens is in dire straits after nine days of curfew.

The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) said a few pockets of LTTE cadres who launched assaults on soldiers establishing their positions at the Kilaly Forward Defence Line (FDL) were overpowered and chased away on Saturday with heavy casualties to the enemy.

"The dead bodies of terrorists killed in confrontations were later buried in a ground by the forces. Security Force members are still consolidating their positions at the FDL's", it said.

The cryptic statement by the military is a clear indication that fierce fighting continues in the peninsula. It is also a reflection of the plight of the ordinary citizens reeling under shortage of food and medical supplies plus the power cuts.

With the peninsula virtually cut off from the rest of the world, there is every possibility of a major humanitarian crisis. Reports from Jaffna city suggest prices of food items have soared by 100 to 150 per cent and vital drugs have disappeared.

Because of the incessant rains in the national capital, efforts by the Government to rush a ship load of relief supplies to Jaffna under the supervision of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) has suffered a setback.

"We are worried about the situation. The loading operations at the Colombo harbour have been affected due to the non-stop rain. We would get on with the job as soon as the rain gods relent", M.I.S.M. Ameer Ali, Sri Lanka Disaster Relief Services Minister told The Hindu .

TamilNet reported that amid continuing heavy fighting in the northern Jaffna peninsula, hundreds of wounded SLA soldiers have been brought to hospitals in and around Colombo, with hundreds more awaiting transfer from Anuradhapura.

"While the Government officially says 106 soldiers have been killed in a week of fighting, defence sources in Colombo said Friday the bodies of more than 400 soldiers had been brought to the south", it said.

In the week of heavy artillery exchanges and fierce gun battles, Sri Lanka says it has killed 700 Tamil Tigers and lost 106 soldiers and sailors. LTTE spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan told reporters that 88 LTTE cadres had been killed. TamilNet also said SLA on Saturday night arrested about 85 civilians including men, women and children fleeing in an Indian fishing trawler to seek refuge in Tamil Nadu.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Gunmen ambush Shia pilgrims; 17 killed
71 Taliban militants killed in battle
Colombo claims 100 Tigers killed in latest Jaffna battle
Lebanon warns militant groups against violating the ceasefire
South Korea offers aid to North
Price hikes withdrawn
Computer composer takes to the stage
Blast in gas pipeline
Troops make foray
Two forced out of flight from Spain to U.K.
India, Singapore seek `interoperability' of air forces

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu