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Sri Lanka claims capture of rebel fortifications
Sri Lankan forces captured critical Tamil Tiger fortifications protecting the rebels' de facto capital amid days of heavy clashes in the north, the government said on Thursday.
- AP
- Published: 12:09 December 18, 2008
Colombo: Sri Lankan forces captured critical Tamil Tiger fortifications protecting the rebels' de facto capital amid days of heavy clashes in the north, the government said on Thursday.
The seizure of the northwestern section of a 17-kilometre-long barrier around Kilinochchi could help clear the way for a final assault on the town and force the rebels to seek refuge in the rapidly shrinking area under their control in the northeast.
Other sections of the lengthy fortification remain in rebel hands.
A coordinated offensive against the town Tuesday sparked hours of fierce fighting, with the rebels claiming to have killed 170 soldiers, while the government said 120 rebels and 25 soldiers were killed. Both sides routinely exaggerate enemy casualties and underreport their own.
Fighting continued to rage across the front lines on Wednesday, with troops in the Kilinochchi district launching a series of attacks, the government said. Forces in the areas recovered the bodies of four dead rebel fighters on Wednesday, the military said in a statement.
The two sides also fought in the Mullaittivu district, where soldiers recovered the body of one rebel fighter, the military said.
The rebels also pounded army troops based along the northern front lines in the Jaffna peninsula with mortar shells, the military said. In line with recent army policy, it did not say how many soldiers were killed or wounded in the fighting in the north.
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