Fighting in northern Sri Lanka kills 29 rebels, 3 soldier

Colombo, July 23: Sri Lankan troops attacked a rebel bunker line in northern Sri Lanka, sparking a three-hour battle that killed 12 Tamil Tiger fighters, the military said on Wednesday.The battle in Murunkaiadipiddi was part of a wave of fighting along the front lines of Sri Lanka's civil war yesterday ... ...killed 29 rebels and three soldiers, the In Murunkaiadipiddi, troops destroyed five rebel bunkers after a fight that lasted from 12 p. to 3 p.the bodies of two male and two female rebel fighters, the military said in a statement.Fighting in other parts of the war zone killed 17 Tamil rebels and three soldiers, the military said.Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan was not immediately death tolls while underreporting their own.It was not possible to independently verify the military reports because the government has barred most journalists from the northern jungles where much of the fighting takes Meanwhile, the government announced that a cherished statue of the Virgin Mary, known as Our Lady of Madhu, had been returned to government-held territory ahead of a In April, government forces captured the Roman Catholic Church in Madhu, 210 kilometres north of Colombo, after it had been abandoned by the rebels.deeper into rebel-held territory and away from the front lines

Add to: del.icio.us | Digg