32 killed in new wave of Sri Lanka fighting

Colombo: A new wave of violence between Sri Lankan troops and Tamil Tiger rebels fighting for an independent homeland killed 30 guerrillas and two soldiers, the military said yesterday.

The deaths brought the total number of combatants killed on Monday along the front lines in Sri Lanka's north to 47.

It was not possible to independently verify the military's claims because the fighting took place deep in the northern jungles, where access is restricted. Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan did not answer calls seeking comment on the military's claims.

Both sides often release inflated enemy casualty figures while under-reporting their own.

Government troops have opened up four fronts around the Tigers' de facto state in the north, while the air force has targeted the group's leadership in a bid to crush the rebels' decades-old separatist war.

In the latest fighting, troops in the Vavuniya region south of the rebel-held territory launched a series of raids on Tamil Tiger patrols and bunkers Monday, killing a total of 16 rebels, the military said in a statement.

Airstrike

Fighting in the Welioya region killed another nine rebels, it said. Troops also attacked and destroyed four rebel bunkers on the Jaffna peninsula north of rebel-held territory Monday, killing four rebels, the military said.

Tamil Tiger fighters launched a hand grenade attack on a police post in the Mannar region, sparking a fight that killed one of the attackers, the military reported. Two soldiers were also killed in booby trap attacks Monday.

Previously reported fighting killed 14 guerrillas and one soldier Monday, the military said.

Separately on Monday, fighter jets bombed an artillery position in the northern rebel-held Pooneryn area, said military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara. He did not give details of damage or casualties, but said pilots have confirmed that a target was hit.

The airstrike came after insurgents fired artillery into the government-controlled Jaffna peninsula, he said. Troops did not suffer casualties in the assault.

Already intense fighting further flared earlier this month when the government announced it was pulling out of a 2002 cease-fire, which had long been ignored by both sides.