Sri Lankan Troops Face Heavy Resistance in Rebel Stronghold

Government troops fought house-to-house with Tamil rebels in the town of Jaffna on Friday, a day after Sri Lankan forces stormed a colonial fort in the rebel stronghold to rescue a trapped garrison.

Military sources said the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were putting up strong resistance as troops advanced to clear rebel positions around the fort.

“There’s house-to-house fighting going on there,” a military officer said.

About 1,600 soldiers stormed into Jaffna on Thursday and relieved the garrison, which had been under rebel siege for the past three months.

By Friday morning, 24 soldiers, including five officers, and 130 rebels were killed in the first 24 hours, military sources said. About 130 soldiers were wounded.

In the farming outpost of Vavuniya, 70 miles south of Jaffna, a senior military officer said Tamil rebels were becoming divided and were sending peace feelers to the army.

“We ignore them or pretend to have not received these messages,” the officer said. “The rebels in this area seem to want a cease-fire. But that is for the politicians to decide. Until then, we will hold and consolidate our positions.”