75 LTTE men, 33 Lankan soldiers killed

75 LTTE men, 33 Lankan soldiers killed
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

COLOMBO, MAY 11: The Sri Lankan army said 75 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels and 33 soldiers have been killed in the battle which continued near Jaffna town on Thursday, even as its troops went on to hold a strategic road bridge North of the town despite sustained attacks by the guerrillas.

Acknowledging heavy fighting on several fronts in the Jafffna peninsula, a government press release here said that troops continued to hold on to the road bridge at Navatkuli near Jaffna town.

"Many attempts by the terrorists to advance towards the bridge have been repulsed by the troops. However, small groups of terrorists continued to occupy a small stretch of the main highway approximately one kilometre northwest of Navatkuli bridge," it said.

The army has so far succeeded in preventing all out attempts by the LTTE rebels to induct more armed cadre into the area, while reinforcements of the army sent to the areas were in the process of evicting small groups of rebels from the main highway, the release said.

"Although the terrorists are making desperate attempts to advance further, troops are determined and so far all such attempts have been repulsed," it added.