Sri Lanka-Clashes-PM
At least 23 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres and two soldiers were killed in fierce clashes in the embattled northern Sri Lanka, taking the toll of security personnel killed in battles with the rebels to 120 since last month.
"As many as 120 army and police personnel and 56 civilians were killed during confrontation with LTTE since April, 2008," Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake told the Parliament Tuesday, PTI reported here.
Meanwhile, ground troops said at least five militants were either injured or killed during initial confrontations at Muhamalai in Jaffna peninsula yesterday.
"According to defence sources in the battlefront, Sri Lanka Army Task Force reached Chalampaikulama region in Mannar and consolidated their hold over 1 sq km area on Monday morning," the defence ministry said.
The troops killed five tiger rebels in Chalampaikkulam area yesterday, it said.
Elsewhere, troops launched a similar assault using battle tanks at LTTE bunkers located in the Nadunkandal area of Mannar.
Ground troops confirmed that a line of LTTE bunkers were destroyed in the attack last evening, leading to the death of two tiger rebels, the ministry said.
Separately, in confrontations in north Janakapura- Kiribbanwewa area in North-eastern Welioya, troops killed five LTTE militants and injured 12 others, the Media Center for National Security (MCNS) said.
In another incident, troops killed two LTTE rebels in Kurukanddal area of Mannar, the MCNS said. At least nine tiger rebels were killed and nine others injured during confrontations in Nayakulam-Palampiddi- Marathamadu area in Vavuniya yesterday, the Defence Ministry said.
In a separate incident, two soldiers died in a explosion in Muhamalai area yesterday, the MCNS said.
Supporting the efforts of ground troops, Air Force MI 24 fighter helicopters carried out two air strikes at an LTTE gathering point to the west of Palampiddi in Mannar yesterday.
Air force confirmed that the air strikes were a success and that "LTTE suffered heavy damages due to the attack. D
