Heavy fighting continued in northern Sri Lanka on Monday as the Sri Lankan Air Force launched two air strikes against rebel targets.
Defense officials said Air Force fighter jets bombed an LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) military and intelligence base at Pudikudierappu in the northern district of Mullaitivu around 10:45 a.m. local time (0515 GMT).
On 1:00 p.m (0730 GMT), the Air Force launched another round of air attacks on an LTTE artillery gun position at Vidattaltivd in the Mannar district.
The military said a senior LTTE leader was severely injured and a 122-mm heavy calibre cannon was damaged in the second attack.
However, pro-LTTE sources said at least 30 government soldiers were killed and more than 100 others were wounded in a fierce battle in Mannar lasted about eight hours.
The fighting broke early morning when government troops attempted to advance into LTTE hold area, but the movement of the troops was thwarted by the rebels, pro-LTTE sources said.
The new conflicts came as Japan's special peace envoy Yasushi Akashi was visiting the country in the aftermath of the government' s decision to withdraw unilaterally from the 2002 ceasefire agreement with the LTTE.
The truce technically expires on Jan. 16, by which time Nordic truce monitors will also be asked to leave the country.
Claiming discrimination at the hands of the Sinhala majority, the LTTE has been fighting the government since the mid-1980s to establish a separate homeland for the minority Tamils in the north and east.
Source:Xinhua
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