Amid reports of fierce fighting surrounding their de-facto capital Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels claim to have killed 75 government soldiers in recent clashes and said they will continue to fight even if they fail to defend their political headquarters town of Kilinochchi.
The head of the rebels' political wing told the BBC he rejected the government's offer of talks if the Tigers disarmed first.
The Tigers say they killed 75 soldiers in the latest clashes. The army has put its losses at 12 dead and 12 missing.
The rival claims cannot be independently verified because journalists are barred from the conflict area.
The battle for Kilinochchi in northern Sri Lanka is getting increasingly bloody. Both sides claim to be inflicting heavy casualties.
Kilinochchi is a hugely symbolic target of the government's offensive to crush the rebels.
In the town, the Tigers have assembled the trappings of the independent state they want for the ethnic Tamil minority, including political offices, courts and a police force.
Government ministers have been predicting the town's imminent capture for months, but the rebels are holding out.
A military spokesman said the people of Sri Lanka wanted the LTTE to be eliminated.
"The military also wanted the same thing and they are doing their level best to capture the rest of the areas" under Tamil Tiger control, said Brigadier Uday Ananaykara.
Sri Lanka's government says it is on track to win the war but heavy battles are likely to still lie ahead and there is concern about the fate of the large number of civilians in the Tiger-controlled north.
The rebels deny using them as human shields and reject allegations they are forcing people into their ranks to fight.
(Excerpted from the BBC)
The head of the rebels' political wing told the BBC he rejected the government's offer of talks if the Tigers disarmed first.
The Tigers say they killed 75 soldiers in the latest clashes. The army has put its losses at 12 dead and 12 missing.
The rival claims cannot be independently verified because journalists are barred from the conflict area.
The battle for Kilinochchi in northern Sri Lanka is getting increasingly bloody. Both sides claim to be inflicting heavy casualties.
Kilinochchi is a hugely symbolic target of the government's offensive to crush the rebels.
In the town, the Tigers have assembled the trappings of the independent state they want for the ethnic Tamil minority, including political offices, courts and a police force.
Government ministers have been predicting the town's imminent capture for months, but the rebels are holding out.
A military spokesman said the people of Sri Lanka wanted the LTTE to be eliminated.
"The military also wanted the same thing and they are doing their level best to capture the rest of the areas" under Tamil Tiger control, said Brigadier Uday Ananaykara.
Sri Lanka's government says it is on track to win the war but heavy battles are likely to still lie ahead and there is concern about the fate of the large number of civilians in the Tiger-controlled north.
The rebels deny using them as human shields and reject allegations they are forcing people into their ranks to fight.
(Excerpted from the BBC)
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