Lankan army faces heavy resistance from LTTE | World News - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Lankan army faces heavy resistance from LTTE

Hindustan Times | BySutirtho Patranobis, Colombo
Feb 25, 2009 11:35 PM IST

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were putting up stiff resistance to stall the fall of their final stronghold Puthukudiyiruppu (PTK) in the north-eastern district of Mullaitivu, reports Sutirtho Patranobis.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were putting up stiff resistance to stall the fall of their final stronghold Puthukudiyiruppu (PTK) in the north-eastern district of Mullaitivu.

HT Image
HT Image

The Lankan defence ministry admitted on Wednesday that fierce fighting was going on between the Sri Lankan army (SLA) and the rebel cadres.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

In another development, Indian foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi have opted out from SAARC foreign ministers’ conference scheduled to be held here over the weekend.

While foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon is here for the meet, minister of state for external affairs A Ahamad would be here instead of Mukherjee.

On the war front, the defence ministry claimed that several LTTE cadres were killed and many more injured in the fight. Quoting sources on the battlefront, the ministry said: “LTTE cadres facing heavy defeat and retaliation from the security forces, fled the area leaving arms and bodies. Scores of LTTE cadres were killed and many wounded.’’

Army snipers deployed north of PTK, located more than 380 km north-east of Colombo, shot dead six LTTE cadres ahead of the defence line, military report received from the battlefront said.

The SLA’s search operations in areas captured yielded eight rebel bodies and eight T-56 weapons.

The pro-rebel website, TamilNet, claimed that SLA had suffered heavy casualties in the PTK operations. “Heavy fighting has been reported west of PTK where SLA divisions 58 and 53 have suffered heavy casualties throughout the last 3 days, according to the sources close to the LTTE,’’ the website said.

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Rohitha Bogollagama has said the UN has not officially informed him of any call for a ceasefire.

Unlock a world of Benefits with HT! From insightful newsletters to real-time news alerts and a personalized news feed – it's all here, just a click away! - Login Now!

Get Latest World News along with Latest News from India at Hindustan Times.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On