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44 Tamil guerrillas killed in Sri Lanka

P Mohan Das in Colombo

At least 44 Tamil guerrillas and six soldiers were killed last night in the latest confrontation between Sri Lankan troops and rebels in the Tanankilappu sector.

A government spokesman said terrorists fired a barrage of artillery and mortars from the direction of Pooneryn, north across the Jaffna lagoon, forcing senior ground commanders of the army to shift their defences to prepared positions towards the northeast.

As a result of intense fighting throughout last night, one officer and five soldiers were killed. Five officers and 36 soldiers have been wounded in action, the spokesman said.

Although the terrorists' transmission has not revealed any casualty figures, troops had seen over 40 bodies at five to six different locations in Tanankilappu area.

In the Nagarkovil area, troops sniped and killed four terrorists. In Kaithady sector, terrorists engaged security forces with heavy artillery and mortar fire. Troops launched a counter attack compelling the terrorists to retreat.

The spokesman said six civilians were killed and 18 injured when terrorists fired artillery at Gurunagar area from Pooneryn yesterday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Medicines Sans Frontiers, a voluntary organisation treating civilians injured in the armed conflict, expressed 'grave concern' for the safety and medical care of the civilians in Jaffna.

In a statement, the MSF urged both the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE to respect humanitarian law, especially those protecting the safety of the civilian population. It also urged the government to permit adequate medical supplies into the embattled area.

The MSF said the recent attacks have resulted in civilian casualties.

The location of potential military targets next to health facilities endangers the patients and the health personnel and may block the access of the civilian population to medical care.

It pointed out that one of the military bases in Jaffna was located inside an old hospital compound and the location of other military installations in the peninsula was near displaced camps, schools and health centres.

UNI

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