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Sri Lankan troops pierce rebel defence line
Sri Lankan troops overran a strategically important rebel defence line Thursday, north of the Tamil Tiger's de facto state, breaking open another front in the country's raging civil war, the military said.
- Agencies
- Published: 20:16 November 20, 2008
Colombo: Sri Lankan troops overran a strategically important rebel defence line Thursday, north of the Tamil Tiger's de facto state, breaking open another front in the country's raging civil war, the military said.
While government forces have pushed deep into rebel-held territory from the south in recent months, the rebels have managed to counter repeated strikes launched by the military from the northern Jaffna peninsula.
But on Thursday, after three days of heavy fighting, troops broke through and captured the rebels' first line of defence at Muhamalai, advancing 800 metres, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said. The rebels still maintain two other defense lines.
As the fighting has intensified, aid groups have ramped up their warnings about the fate of hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians in the rebel-controlled area. Amnesty International said on Wednesday tens of thousands of people are now without shelter.
Yesterday's victory was significant because it marked the first time during the recent fighting that government forces were able to pierce rebel fortifications in the area and rebels fought ferociously to hold off the advancing troops.
"They had a lot of casualties and we are going toward the second line of defence," Nanayakkara said. A Ministry of Defence statement said scores of rebels were killed in the fighting.
Soldiers killed
Rebel spokesmen could not be reached for comment because most communication lines with the north have been severed.
But a rebel-affiliated website reported on Wednesday that Tamil Tiger fighters killed 36 soldiers during the recent fighting along the defence line.
In April, Tamil Tiger fighters killed scores of troops along the northern front when they feinted an attack on government positions, quickly retreated and then pounded the pursuing soldiers with artillery.
The capture of the Muhamalai defence line put further pressure on the rebels, who are defending dwindling territory while trying to fight off a multi-pronged offensive from the south, west and north.
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