Category: Defense

February 1, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s military said Sunday it would move to “liberate” civilians trapped by fighting with Tamil Tiger forces, after a deadline expired for the rebels to allow non-combatants to leave the war zone.International concern over the fate of tens of thousands of men, women and children stuck in the encircled […]

January 31, 2009 (AFP) – The Sri Lankan military reported a lull in fighting Saturday with cornered Tamil Tiger rebels, as the Red Cross tried to negotiate the evacuation of more civilian wounded from the conflict zone. “There have been no incidents, no casualties, no terrorist killed or military items recovered from terrorists,” in the […]

January 31, 2009 (AFP) – The Red Cross said Saturday it was in talks with Sri Lankan Tamil Tiger rebels to release more wounded civilians trapped in the island’s embattled north.Sri Lanka’s government, which denies it targets civilians, has rejected international calls for a ceasefire and says the military is in the final phase of […]

LONDON, January 28, 2009 (AFP) – The chief of the Tamil Tiger rebels in Britain helped supply military equipment to the Sri Lankan separatist group, a London court heard Wednesday.Laidlaw added that Chrishanthakumar had headed the United Tamil Organisation in Britain before it became outlawed in 2001. The LTTE, which is fighting for a separate […]

January 29, 2009 (AFP) – International rights groups pressed for urgent action to save up to 250,000 civilians trapped in northern Sri Lanka where government forces Thursday fought to secure final victory over Tamil rebels.Human rights bodies called for immediate steps by both the Colombo government and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) […]

January 28, 2009 (AFP) – Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee on a surprise visit to Sri Lanka called for urgent measures to protect civilians caught up in the island’s ongoing fighting, officials said Wednesday.In the statement on a “major humanitarian crisis unfolding,” the ICRC said an estimated quarter of a million people were unable to […]

WASHINGTON, January 28, 2009 (AFP) – Two men pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to provide material support to Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers rebel group on the eve of their trial in a US district court, the Justice Department said.Thiruthanikan Thanigasalam, 40, and Sahilal Sabaratnam, 29, pleaded guilty in Brooklyn, New York to conspiring to purchase […]

January 28, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers have prevented international aid workers from evacuating some 300 hospital patients inside rebel-held territory, a report said Wednesday.A convoy of two dozen vehicles arranged by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the United Nations to transport the sick was barred from crossing the […]

MULLAITTIVU, January 27, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops Tuesday battled Tamil Tigers for control of the last stretch of rebel-held coastline, as international fears mounted for 250,000 civilians caught in the conflict.Soldiers backed by tanks and air cover fought to capture 30 kilometres (18 miles) of seafront, the only territory still controlled by the […]

January 28, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lankan forces on Wednesday fought their way into another village still held by the Tamil Tigers, an official said, as neighbouring India raised fears for civilians caught up in the war.Soldiers marched into the village of Visuamadu in the final phase of operations against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil […]

BRUSSELS, January 26, 2009 (AFP) – EU officials told Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama of their concern at the “humanitarian crisis” in the north of the country, especially “the rising civilian casualties in the conflict zone.” EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner underlined that “international standards must be respected” and that unrestricted access be […]

January 27, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s elusive Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran is still on the island and leading his fighters as they struggle to avoid total defeat, a news report said Tuesday. Prabhakaran, 54, is in the island’s northeastern district of Mullaittivu where his guerrillas are cornered by a massive military offensive, the […]