Category: Defense

July 11, 2008 (AFP) – At least four people were killed and 26 injured Friday when Tamil Tiger rebels opened fire on a bus in southern Sri Lanka, the defence ministry said. The incident took place just south of the capital Colombo in Buttala, police said, adding that the injured had been taken to nearby […]

July 9, 2008 (AFP) – At least 22 Tamil Tiger rebels and two government soldiers have died in the latest clashes in northern Sri Lanka, the island’s defence ministry said Wednesday.The fighting, which took place on Tuesday, was centred around the Weli Oya, Vavuniya and Mannar regions, the statement said. The rebel Liberation Tigers of […]

July 6, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers on Sunday commemorated 356 men and women who have staged suicide attacks since the tactic was first used by the rebels 21 years ago. The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they held ceremonies in guerrilla-held Wanni region on Saturday to mark the 21st […]

July 2, 2008 (AFP) – Fresh fighting between Sri Lankan government forces and Tamil Tigers has left at least another 27 rebels and two soldiers dead, the defence ministry said Wednesday. Troops shot dead 27 rebels in the districts of Vavuniya, Mannar and Mullaitivu on Tuesday, the ministry said, adding that security forces lost two […]

July 1, 2008 (AFP) – A Sri Lankan military helicopter was hit by small arms fire in eastern Sri Lanka Tuesday as President Mahinda Rajapakse visited the region, officials said. The Bell helicopter made an emergency landing in the district of Ampara where the president was visiting to launch a 10-million dollar US-gifted bridge that […]

June 30, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s army chief said Monday his forces have wiped out the conventional military capability of the Tamil Tigers, but that they needed another year to totally defeat the rebels. Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka said the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) guerrillas were no longer able to resist security […]

June 29, 2008 (AFP) – At least 41 more Tamil Tiger rebels and two government soldiers have been killed in the latest fighting in Sri Lanka’s north, the defence ministry said Sunday.Troops shot dead 20 guerrillas in the district of Vavuniya on Saturday while 14 were killed in the neighbouring Weli Oya region, the ministry […]

June 29, 2008 (AFP) – India is to send thousands of troops, war ships and helicopters to Sri Lanka as part of security for next month’s South Asian summit in Colombo, diplomatic sources said Sunday.New Delhi is planning to send three war ships with a combined force of up to 3,000 security personnel because of […]

June 28, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lankan security forces killed at least 44 Tamil Tiger rebels for the loss of two of their own soldiers in fresh ground battles in the island’s embattled north, the defence ministry said Saturday. The rebels from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were killed in separate clashes on […]

June 26, 2008 (AFP) – At least 59 Tamil Tiger rebels and government soldiers have been killed in the latest fighting in Sri Lanka’s north, the defence ministry said Thursday. Heavy fighting since Tuesday left 57 Tiger guerrillas and two soldiers killed in separate clashes across the districts of Vavuniya, Mannar, Mullaitivu and Jaffna, the […]

June 25, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s defence ministry said Wednesday that its forces have made some territorial progress in fighting with the Tamil Tigers that it said killed at least 10 guerrillas.Security forces took a three square kilometre (1.15 square miles) area in the district of Mannar on Tuesday, the ministry said, adding that […]

June 25, 2008 (LBO) – The United States embassy in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo was closed Wednesday after a “suspicious powder” was found, the embassy said in a statement. All visa appointments and routine American citizen services will be postponed until the incident is resolved, it said. It said the suspicious substance will be […]