Category: Defense

SINGAPORE, August 12, 2008 (AFP) – India has warned neighbouring Sri Lanka that it may not be able to win an ongoing war against separatist Tamil Tiger rebels despite recent military gains, a report said Tuesday. Indian National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan told the Straits Times newspaper that Sri Lanka’s Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam […]

August 10, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops launched a fresh advance into territory held by Tamil rebels Sunday, killing 15 guerrillas while another 27 combatants were killed in other clashes, the defence ministry said.The latest push was in the Jaffna peninsula, parts of which are held by the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam […]

GENEVA, August 8, 2008 (AFP) – Twelve thousand families are reported to have been displaced in July by fierce fighting in Sri Lanka between government troops and Tamil rebels, the United Nations refugee agency said Friday.Many have been forced to move on several occasions ahead of shifting frontlines to avoid crossfire and stay out of […]

August 2, 2008 (AFP) – Heavy fighting broke out in northern Sri Lanka on the eve of a South Asian summit in the capital, leaving at least 11 government soldiers and seven rebels killed, a military official said Saturday. The fighting is taking place 250 kilometres (160 miles) north of here, but there has recently […]

August 2, 2008 (AFP) – Heavy fighting broke out in northern Sri Lanka on the eve of a South Asian summit in the capital, leaving at least 14 government soldiers and 38 rebels killed, a military official said Saturday. The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) offered stiff resistance to a military advance in […]

August 1, 2008 (AFP) – Pakistan, a key supplier of small arms to Sri Lanka, has proposed a defence pact to boost military cooperation between the two countries, Pakistani officials said Friday.Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made the offer to his Sri Lankan counterpart Rohitha Bogollegama on the sidelines of a South Asian meeting […]

July 26, 2008 (AFP) – At least 66 Tamil Tiger rebels and eight government soldiers have died in the latest fighting in northern Sri Lanka, the island’s defence ministry said Saturday. The fighting on Friday was centred around Jaffna, Mannar, Vavuniya and the Weli Oya regions, the ministry said.There was no immediate comment on the […]

July 27, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka is ramping up security in its already tightly-guarded capital to unprecedented levels as it prepares to host regional leaders for a major summit amid an escalating war on the Tamil Tigers. India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will bring thousands of his own security personnel, helicopters and bullet-proof cars, […]

July 27, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka is rounding up dozens of stray dogs ahead of a major South Asian summit, which will also see the island’s largest deployment of police dogs to sniff out explosives, officials said Sunday.The Colombo Municipal Council said dozens of strays over the weekend had been captured near the Bandaranaike […]

July 25, 2008 (AFP) – Heavy ground battles across Sri Lanka’s north claimed the lives of 59 Tamil Tiger rebels and two soldiers, the defence ministry said Friday.Fresh fighting broke out on Thursday and Friday in the northeastern district of Mullaittivu as troops moved deeper into rebel-held areas, the ministry said. There was no immediate […]

July 24, 2008 (AFP) – At least 25 Tamil Tiger rebels and four soldiers have been killed in fighting and air strikes across Sri Lanka’s northern region, the defence ministry said Thursday. The ministry said the clashes between troops and members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) happened Wednesday and brought the number […]

July 22, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s separatist Tamil Tiger rebels declared Tuesday a ceasefire with the military during a 10-day meeting of South Asian leaders starting here this week.There was no immediate comment from Colombo on the ceasefire. Sri Lanka’s army chief said last week that his forces had wiped out two-thirds of the […]