50 killed in Lanka fighing, LTTE attacks Jaffna town

50 killed in Lanka fighing, LTTE attacks Jaffna town
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

COLOMBO, MAY 16: The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on Tuesday launched a fresh attack on besieged Jaffna town after a three-day lull even as 44 rebels and six soldiers were killed in continued fighting in settlements North of the city.

With the Sri Lankan Army reinforcing Jaffna town with more troops and weapons, the LTTE had shifted its focus away from the town and directed its attacks on the settlements north of the town.

Their were also reports on Tuesday of a fresh offensive on Jaffna town, which had been largely peaceful for three days.

After asserting on Monday that the intensity of the LTTE attacks had drastically come down due to successful air srikes pounding rebel positions, the Government on Tuesday said its troops had pulled back to `prepared positions' north-east of Jaffna town due to heavy artillery and mortar attacks by the rebels.

The LTTE guerrillas launched fresh attacks on the troops around 18:00 hours yesterday first at Thananakilappu sector, north of Jaffna town which was one of the places, where the rebels first mounted the attacks on May 10, a government press release said here. Fighting continued until early hours and the troops fought back to repulse the rebel attacks.

"Due to concentrated artillery and mortar fire of the terrorists, the senior ground commanders shifted the defences to prepared positions more towards north-east", it said.

Army officials said due to the shifting of the positions, fighting was now taking place close to Chavackacherri, which is located 17 km north of Jaffna town.

"With change of course of its attacks, the LTTE appears to be attempting to secure the suburban areas around the town," they said.

The release said that as a result of last night's fighting one officer and six soldiers were killed in action. Troops also observed over 40 bodies of the rebels in six different areas while four militants have been shot dead by soldiers at Nagerkovil since yesterday, it said.

The rebels also fired heavy volume of artillery and mortars at Kaithady in the peninsula which were effectively repulsed by the troops, it said.

In another operation troops conducted special operations in north-west Mannar and arrested 17 suspected rebels at Arippu yesterday, it said adding that rebels also hijacked a cab and a passenger bus from a travel agency situated close to eastern Batticaloa university.