Lankan fighting leaves 22 soldiers killed, over 100 injured

Colombo, Oct 11 (UNI) At least 22 Sri Lankan soldiers were killed and over hundred wounded when the military assisted by Air Force launched a major clearing operation at Muhamalai in the Jaffna peninsula today after observing heavy LTTE build-up in the area, military sources here said.

''Raging exchange of fire attacks on terrorist concentrations in and around Muhamalai south, the causeway to Jaffna peninsula, have so far resulted in the death of 22 Army personnel till this afternoon, after troops assisted by Air Force and Naval troops commenced a massive clearing operation in the surroundings,'' the sources said, adding at least 113 soldiers were wounded in the six-hour-long fighting.

Claiming that the troops were consolidating their positions after fierce gun battles, the military said wounded soldiers were evacuated to the Palaly military base later in the day as confrontations dwindled after 1400 hrs (local time) to some extent.

Intermittent fighting, however, still rages on, the sources said, adding the ground troops had confirmed to have found several bodies of LTTE rebels scattered around their FDLs.

''Troops were compelled to launch those defensive measures as a result of the increased bout of LTTE violence against members of the security forces, disrupting the regular opening of the A-9 Highway,'' the military said.

This was in sharp contrast of the claims of the LTTE, which said the Sri Lankan military had launched a three-pronged large scale offensive along the northern de-facto border of Muhamalai and Nagarkovil since this morning.

''The Sri Lankan military is attempting to move forward into the LTTE area along the northern frontline at Muhamalai, Kilali and Nagarkovil since 0600 hrs (local time). Intense clashes are going on at this moment,'' the LTTE peace secretariat said in a statement.

The LTTE is yet to comment on the casualty.

The alleged offensive by the Sri Lankan military has come exactly a day after the Tamil Tiger rebels announced that they agreed to ''resume direct talks'' with President Mahinda Rajapaksa's coalition government on October 28-29 in a city in Switzerland, but warned the organisation would be forced to reconsider its decision if the military aggression continued.

The fresh clashes of high intensity is under way at a time when top Norwegian facilitator and Norwegian Minister for International Development, Eric Solheim has urged both the government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tiger rebels to end the ongoing fightings in order to ensure that a meeting actually takes place.

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