Lankan military death toll rises to 14 in Wanni clash

Colombo, July 15 (UNI) The toll of the Sri Lankan military personnel killed in the fighting with the Tamil Tiger rebels in the northern Wanni region yesterday, increased from ten to 14 with the LTTE handing over bodies of four Sri Lankan soldiers through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

''Army death toll in yesterday's terrorists' attack in Madhu ''No-War-Zone'' rose to 14 as the LTTE handed over four bodies of army soldiers through the ICRC,'' the Defence Ministry said this evening.

''The bodies have been identified as of four soldiers who were missing after the clashes at Periyathampanai yesterday,'' it said, adding that the Army received the bodies around 1500 hrs from the ICRC representatives at Uyilanankulam roadblock in Mannar. The military earlier said ten soldiers were killed and 34 more wounded when heavy fighting erupted in the Wanni front as the LTTE fired heavy mortars at SL army soldiers at Priyathampanai on the Vavuniya- Mannar road.

''The security forces were compelled to retaliate to the attack and destroyed some of the terror mortar locations completely. It is believed that the retaliatory attacks have caused heave casualties to the LTTE,'' the Defence Ministry said, adding that the rebels have launched this ''cowardly attack abusing the no-war-zone agreed by the security forces for the Madhu church area''.

Sri Lankan troops used war jets and long-range artillery weapons to attack suspected Tamil Tiger positions as fresh fighting broke out early yesterday with the fighter jets pounding suspected LTTE locations to back the ground offensive.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Tigers have claimed that at least 16 Sri Lankan soldiers were killed when they put up heavy resistance against a two-pronged military assault yesterday.

''More than 16 Sri Lanka army troops were killed and around 45 others were injured in the clashes,'' the pro-rebel websites have quoted LTTE officials as saying.

The Tigers claim that they too have lost three rebels in the fighting.

Fresh fighting broke out in the north, came three days after security forces wrested control over Thoppigala area, the final rebel base in the Eastern Batticaloa district.

UNI