Saturday, February 11, 2012

55 Tamil Tiger rebels killed in land and sea battles

By: Our Staff Reporter | March 30, 2009, 2:07 pm |

Sri Lanka's military says at least 55 Tamil Tiger rebels have been killed in land and sea battles on Sri Lanka's northeast coast as an army offensive moves forward in a bid to end 25 years of civil war. Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara says 26 rebels were killed in a sea battle Monday off Chalai. He says a leader of the Sea Tigers _ the rebels' naval wing _ was among the dead while one government sailor died and three were wounded. Nanayakkara says heavy ground battles between the army troops and the guerrillas on Sunday left 29 rebels dead. The fighting came after government forces on Sunday broke through a fortification built by the Tigers to defend their last strip of land.