Officials in Sri Lanka have said that Tamil Tiger rebel attacks against military defences in the north of the country have resulted in the deaths of at least 54 people on both sides. The Tamil Tigers launched several attempts to breach military bunker lines and fighting raged until Saturday evening, the government said. Four government soldiers were killed and another 41 wounded in the heavy firefight.
Tigers began shelling populated areas of the Jaffna peninsula in a bid to displace civilians ahead of the October 10 parliamentary polls in the region, it said. On Friday, troops deployed ground attack aircraft and artillery to beat back attempts by Tamil rebels to smash army defences in the Jaffna peninsula. A Ministry spokesman said the guerrillas had suffered heavy casualties, but were still throwing more cadres into the firefight.
For its part, the LTTE said that 44 Tigers had been killed in the latest round of fighting. The LTTE said they killed over 150 government troops and wounded more than 600 soldiers.
Government forces controlled virtually the entire peninsula after taking the town of Jaffna in December 1995, but the Tigers mounted counter-attacks in April this year, securing the main access point. The ruling People's Alliance has promised that troops would regain lost territory by October 10 when the country goes to the polls to elect a new parliament. The LTTE is leading a drawn out campaign for independence in the island's northeast. More than 60,000 people have been killed in fighting over the past two decades.
