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Sri Lankaan Army closing on rebel headquarter
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by Sanjay Jha | October 20, 2008 at 12:04 am
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Sri Lankan army has intensified their attacks on the rebel Tamil tigers first time seems to having an edge in war against tamil tigers. Tamil tigers have been fighting their 25-year campaign for a separate homeland for the island's ethnic minority Tamils, who have suffered marginalisation by successive governments controlled by majority ethnic Sinhalese. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict so far.
Latest reports says that Sri Lankan government troops have seized a strategic village from separatist Tamil Tiger fighters, bringing the government closer to capturing the rebels' de facto capital in the north of the country. The battle for Vannerikulam village, west of the rebels' capital, Kilinochchi, was challenging because the rebels had erected massive earth barriers, the military said in a statement on Monday.
Sri Lanka's military says they have breached a key Tamil Tiger defensive line near the rebels' administrative headquarters in the island's north.
Officials said the rebels had suffered heavy losses, but there were no details of the casualties on either side.
The Tamil Tiger rebels could not be reached for comment.
Soldiers have been pushing ahead with an offensive aimed at defeating the rebels and ending their fight for a separate state for the Tamil minority.
The government blocks independent journalists from going to the areas where the fighting is taking place.
The long earth embankment was the last major defensive line protecting the Tamil Tigers' administrative headquarters of Kilinochchi, according to Sri Lanka's ministry of defence.
Soldiers captured it during fighting over the weekend, the ministry said.
The ministry of defence also claimed the Tigers had used poisonous gas during the battles.
Capturing Kilinochchi would be a major symbolic victory for Sri Lanka's government - the rebels have run a civil administration from offices in the town.
But many residents and rebels are reported to have abandoned it for areas further east still under Tamil Tiger control.
Meanwhile Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa has told Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the military has been instructed to avoid causing civilian casualties.
There have been protests by some Tamils in southern India against the Sri Lankan military offensive.
Last week, the Indian government said a military victory would not end the ethnic conflict and called for a political settlement.
The rebels have been fighting for a separate homeland for a quarter of a century and about 70,000 people have been killed in the violence.
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at 00:45 on October 20th, 2008
While Wanni liberation operation continuing LTTEcontinually launched Chemical Gas attacks (CS gas) at the troops advancing towards Akkarayankulam yesterday 18th October. The purpose is to slowdown the SL troop’s advancement.Sri Lankan troops are already wearing gas masks to protect from the gas attacks. Earlier LTTE launched few chemicals attacks identified as CS gas which is more powerful than tear gas and can cause for faint or breathing difficulties. According to the latest report, LTTE are filling grenades with CS gas and firing them from grenade launchers at the Front Line SL troops.
Meanwhile heavy fighting erupt Nachchikuda and Akkarayankulam areas all over today. No causality figures yet updated by Any Party.
at 01:34 on October 20th, 2008
Thanks for your comment. It would be great if you could update the news and also pics from the ground zero.
at 04:19 on October 26th, 2008
According to The Economist, nineteen DMK (the ruling party of Tamil Nadu and part of the coalition government in Delhi) members have threatened to resign from the government if the government does not persuade Sri Lanka to declare a truce by October 29th. The DMK accuses Sri Lanka of a "genocide" of Tamil civilians trapped in the rebel areas of the Wanni.
It is all very well for Mahinda Rajapaksa to say he has instructed the army to "avoid civilian casualties". Nice words; no proof of action! Amnesty International continues to accuse the army of causing disappearances of civilians and the government does not respond. Also, the Sri Lankan Humans Rights organisation is no longer an independent organisation since they have been obliged to take government representatives. There is no way of knowing what is true and what is a fabrication since the government continues to deny access to any journalists. I wonder what they want to hide?
According to Amnesty International's latest press release of 8th October: "As a result of recent fighting over 220,000 people are displaced in the Wanni in northern Sri Lanka including 30,000 schoolchildren. On 9 September the government issued an order for United Nations (UN) and non-governmental aid workers to leave the war-torn northern Wanni region. Since 29 September the government has allowed some international UN workers to accompany food convoys into the Wanni but humanitarian access remains limited".