The Associated Press
Published: May 30, 2008
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: Government troops have captured a Tamil Tiger rebel base in Sri Lanka's war-torn north after three days of fighting that killed seven rebels and one soldier, the military said Friday.
Army troops captured the stronghold known as "Munnagam Base" on Thursday, said military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara. He said the base, located four miles (six kilometers) north of the front lines in Welioya region, had been used by guerrillas as an operational center.
He said the three-day-long battle to seize the base had killed seven rebels and one soldier. Another five soldiers were wounded.
Other fighting Thursday in Mannar and Vavuniya regions near the rebels' de facto state in the north killed four rebels and wounded eight soldiers, he said.
Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan could not immediately be reached for comment.
It was not possible to independently verify the military's claims because journalists are banned from the northern jungles where much of the fighting takes place. Each side commonly exaggerates its enemy's casualties while playing down its own.
Fighting has escalated in recent months along the war's front lines, with the government pledging to capture rebel-held territory and crush the insurgents by the end of the year. Diplomats and other observers say the army has faced more resistance than expected.
The Tamil Tiger rebels have fought since 1983 to create an independent state for the island's ethnic minority Tamils who have suffered marginalization by successive governments controlled by majority ethnic Sinhalese. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/30/asia/AS-GEN-Sri-Lanka-Civil-War.php
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