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Sri Lanka: 28 Troops Killed in Recent Battles with Tamil Rebels
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?r=279&ctl=13E2883:A6F02AD83191E160410159D49F4876099574F7DCC14957C0 Military says it is
responding to recent rebel artillery attacks against Sri Lankan troops
on Jaffna peninsula Sri Lankan military officials say 28 troops have
been killed and 119 wounded in several days of renewed fighting with
separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in the northern part of the Indian Ocean
island nation.

Military spokesman General Prasad Samarasinghe said Sunday the
military is responding to recent rebel artillery attacks against Sri
Lankan troops on the Jaffna peninsula.

The Tamil Tigers say six rebels have been killed and 13 wounded. But a
French news agency report quotes Sri Lankan military officials as
saying the rebels lost 150 fighters and "many more" are wounded.

Saturday, the military conducted airstrikes on rebel positions in the
region.

Diplomats say a 2002 ceasefire agreement between the government and
the Tamil Tiger rebels appears to be near total collapse.

The Tamil Tigers have been fighting for a separate homeland in the
north and east of Sri Lanka since the early 1980s. Tens of thousands
of people have been killed in the violence.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.


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