Troops Retake Five Sri Lankan Police Stations
Security forces took the offensive Friday and recaptured five of 20 Sri Lankan police stations overrun by Tamil guerrillas in a series of attacks this week, military sources said.
They said the drive by troops began as Justice Minister Shahul Hameed was holding peace talks with leaders of the rebels in their stronghold in Jaffna in the north. Hameed will return to Jaffna to resume talks today.
At least 300 people, including rebels, security officers and civilians, have been reported killed in five days of attacks on army and police installations in the northeast by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
The military sources said columns of soldiers advanced on the towns of Trincomalee, Mutur, Pottuvil and Vavuniya and retook the police stations there. The troops also seized weapons and vehicles captured by the rebels.
Earlier Friday, security forces had recaptured a police station at Kankesanturai in the Jaffna peninsula.
The sources said 22 Tigers were killed and five soldiers wounded in the operation.
Military sources in Colombo said the Tigers on Friday executed 23 police officers of the majority Sinhalese community they had captured from a police station in Trincomalee.
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