At least nine people were killed and 24 injured in northern Sri Lanka on Thursday as clashes between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels continued, the military said.
Officials from the Media Center for National Security said six Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) members were killed and over 12 were injured as the troops destroyed six LTTE bunkers in Pallaikuli of the Mannar district around 7:30 a.m. local time (0200 GMT).
One soldier was killed while six others sustained injuries in the confrontation.
Also in Mannar, LTTE mortar fire targeted a house in Manakkulamarea around 11:25 a.m. (0555 GMT), injuring two female civilians.
Meanwhile, a pressure mine targeting an army truck exploded in Padaviya of the Mullaitivu district around 9:30 a.m. (0400 GMT), killing two soldiers and injuring four others.
Sri Lanka's Northern Province is now the major battlefield between government troops and the LTTE after the military said in mid-July that the entire Eastern Province had been free of rebels.
In a related development, the Sri Lankan government said Thursday that it has notified the Norwegian government about its decision to terminate the ceasefire agreement with Tamil Tigers, which means the nearly six-year truce will formally expire on Jan.16.
Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that this notification was in terms of the agreement signed in February 2002 and will take effect 14 days from the date of this notice i.e. Jan. 16, 2008.
"The government of Sri Lanka today formally notified the Royal Norwegian Government of its decision to terminate the agreement ...concluded on Feb. 22, 2002," said the ministry in a statement.
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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