Sri Lankan resumes military offensive against Tamils
Dated 4/9/2006
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Sri Lankan military resumed its key push towards securing a strategic area in the east of the country, the National Security Media Centre (NSMC) said here Monday.
The troops fired multi-barrel rockets and artillery fire at the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) positions in Sampur, south of the Trincomalee harbour, the NSMC said.
Battles resumed at 8.00 p.m. Sunday and continued till around 3.00 a.m. Monday (2130 GMT, Sunday) after a complete lull Saturday, said NSMC officials, adding that the troops met with little resistance from the rebels.
The troops began its operation last week aimed at ending the Tiger control at Sampur and have now consolidated their position in four adjacent villages after early resistance from the rebels.
The government wants to capture Sampur as the LTTE have earlier attacked Trincomalee harbour from there.
Analysts say the battle for Sampur would be crucial for both the government and the rebels and may even see the current shadow war converting itself to a real war.
Though Sri Lanka has witnessed some of the worst fighting since the February 2002 Norwegian backed ceasefire, both sides claim they have not returned to armed hostilities and are only defending each other against aggression.
The LTTE's defence spokesperson Rasiah Ilanthirayan had said the battle for Sampur could well end up as the beginning of the 'Eelam War IV'.
The LTTE have been demanding a separate homeland for the minority Tamils in the northern and eastern provinces claiming discrimination at the hands of the majority Sinhalese community.
More than 64,000 people have died in the conflict so far.