Casualty figure mounts as Army advances in Lanka's east

Colombo, July 31 (UNI) Sri Lanka's military today claimed that at least seven soldiers and 35 Tigers were killed in heavy fighting in the eastern province as the Army advanced towards the rebel-held territory for the first time since the February 2002 ceasefire accord.

''At least seven soldiers, including two officers, were killed and 13 more, including an officer, was injured when the LTTE fired a volley of mortars to resist the Army's movement towards Mavilaru area to open the irrigation sluice gate. We believe over 35 cadres were also killed during the fighting,'' a top military official here said.

The LTTE has, however, denied the military claims and said only two of their cadres had been killed and two more wounded due to the army fire.

''Sri Lanka Army began moving ground troops through three fronts from two SLA bases towards Mavilaru sluice gate this morning, supported by Multi - Barrel Rocket Launchers, artillery fire and aerial bombardment from MIG jets towards LTTE-held areas. The SLA advance was thwarted by the Tigers,'' the pro-LTTE has quoted LTTE military spokesman, Ilanthirayan, as saying.

The Army and the LTTE exchanged artillery and mortar fire and the fire-fight still continued through the late evening as the troops moved ahead through the mine-fields, the military official said.

The Army advance towards Verugal in the Trincomalee district began yesterday as they sought to dislodge the LTTE rebels who had closed down the sluice gate of the Verugal river since July 20.

Military Spokesman Brig Prasad Samarasinghe said, ''The army continues to march towards Verugal Aru effectively with the aerial support of the Sri Lanka Air force fighter planes.'' The government blamed the LTTE of depriving water to some 15,000 families in the Verugal area by closing down the sluice gates and said the military advance was purely aimed at securing the release of water to civilians living in the government controlled territory.

Both the Nordic truce monitors and the analysts say the ongoing clash between the LTTE and the government forces is posing a very serious threat to the already fragile ceasefire and risking the four-year long Norwegian-brokered ceasefire agreement.

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