COLOMBO, February 25: About 50 Sri Lankan soldiers and six Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) guerrillas were killed in fresh fighting in the north of the island country, LTTE claimed today.The Tigers said the fighting occurred as its cadre yesterday repulsed an army offensive at Olumadu, a village about 30 km from the rebel-held north east Mullaithivu.
In its press release from London, the LTTE said 20 bodies of the soldiers were recovered by its cadre while body parts of several more were cremated. It has not said whether the recovered bodies would be handed over to the International Red Cross as was the practice in the past. Sources at the army headquarters here said no such losses were received from the field commanders. ``If the LTTE has the bodies, it can hand them over to the ICRC,'' they said.
LTTE is reported to have suffered heavy losses in the extensive bombing raids conducted by the Sri Lankan fighter helicopters on the LTTE defences facing the Olumadu junction since yesterday, theyadded. Only a week ago, Colombo-based journalists were taken by the army to Olumadu junction and the village to demonstrate its control over the place. The capture of the Olumadu junction has denied road access to the LTTE's Mullaithivu headquarters.
As a result, the LTTE was finding it difficult to send its supplies to its guerrillas fighting the advancing troops at Mankulam town.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
