South Asia News
Heavy fighting erupts in northern Sri Lanka, 36 killed
Nov 7, 2007, 10:59 GMT
Colombo - Heavy fighting erupted between government troops and Tamil rebels in northern Sri Lanka Wednesday, leaving at least 30 rebels and six government soldiers dead, military officials said.
Fierce fighting broke out in Muhamalai, 390 kilometres north of the capital, on Wednesday morning after Tamil rebels made an attempt to breach the army's forward defence lines, a military spokesman in Colombo said.
But Tamil rebels claimed they resisted a move by government troops trying to enter the rebel-controlled area, sparking off a battle in which the Sri Lankan military also suffered heavy casualties.
The government military spokesman said that 30 soldiers were injured in the confrontations and that troops had overrun rebel defence lines.
There has been no independent confirmation about the clashes, which took place close to the former entry point used by civilians to travel between the northern Jaffna peninsula to the rest of the country.
The military controls the southern end of the peninsula while the rebels control the areas further south. The two sides are divided by a no-man's-land extending about two kilometers.
For the past 15 months the road passing through Muhamalai has remained closed due to sporadic clashes. As a result civilians living in the northern Jaffna peninsula have to use the limited air passage or use a circuitous sea route.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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