Sri Lanka army battles rebels in northeast

COLOMBO, Aug 29: Sri Lanka's army said today it continued an offensive into Tamil Tiger-controlled territory, with military sources saying the ultimate aim was to sweep the rebels from the entrance of a strategic harbour.

The government says the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) must vacate their positions on the southern edge of Trincomalee harbour, from where they have launched attacks on military shipping and shelled the port and a military base.

''The battle is still going on,'' said an army spokesman. ''We hope there will be more than 90 LTTE cadres killed. On our side, there are 13 killed and 71 injured.'' Officially, the purpose of the new offensive into rebel territory is to allow the return to tens of thousands of displaced people to the town of Mutur, just south of the harbour, as well as the surrounding area.

The Tigers, who ultimately want a separate Tamil homeland in the north and east, launched a push into army-held Mutur from the neighbouring rebel-held Sampur area at the beginning of the month after a government offensive on a nearby rebel-held water supply.

They withdrew days later but the mainly Muslim population fled and since then mortar fire has deterred their return.

But military sources say the main goal is simply to push the LTTE out of Sampur. Diplomats say they are not sure the army can succeed.

After almost a month of heavy fighting around Trincomalee and on the northern Jaffna peninsula, front lines have barely moved and both sides seem bogged down.

August has been by far the most violent month since a 2002 ceasefire. Hundreds of fighters and civilians have been killed and more than 200,000 people have fled their homes, many around Trincomalee.

The Tigers say they will resist any attempt to seize Sampur.

Rebel-held areas south of Trincomalee were hit hard by the 2004 tsunami and have been heavily shelled by the military for weeks.

Most of the ethnic Tamil civilian population there have fled south -- although the LTTE have been reluctant to allow them to leave the area. The Tigers said at least 20 civilians died in shelling yesterday.

Faced with a government advance, the usual Tiger tactic has been to launch a push forward elsewhere along the frontline to divide the army's forces. Diplomats also fear more attacks in the capital Colombo, further damaging the tourism industry and the economy.

Both sides still say they remain committed to peace but ultimately analysts say neither side has shown enough willingness to compromise and that a two-decade war that had already killed more than 65,000 people has once again resumed.

REUTERS