Sri Lanka: Rebels Continue to Crumble in the East

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January16, 2007: Fighting in the east increased, leaving at least thirty dead. The increased fighting with the LTTE resulted in over 3,500 people dying in 2006. About 30 percent of the total were civilians in LTTE controlled territory. Often, these people died while being used as human shields. Because of this sort of thing, over 200,000 people, mostly Tamils, fled the areas where fighting was taking place. Nearly ten percent of those moved to India (Tamil Nadu, the ancestral home of Sri Lankan Tamils). Now the fighting has gone against the LTTE in a big way, with base camps, immune to government attack for years, falling. Even experienced LTTE leaders are surrendering, hoping to cut deals before it all ends, and there is a demand for war crimes trials. Also being rounded up are police officials that were found to be paid informants for the LTTE. The capture of LTTE camps included seizure of LTTE intelligence files. Also found were rooms apparently used to torture captives.

January 15, 2007: In the east, army and LTTE artillery exchanged fire. The LTTE has nearly a hundred artillery pieces, most of them Cold War surplus 122mm howitzers. The LTTE have been running short of ammunition because of the naval blockade, and air force attacks on ammo supplies.

January 13, 2007: The army captured three LTTE camps, yielding more intelligence information, and causing more LTTE fighters to desert. This was because the camps contained food and medical supplies, as well as vehicles and other equipment. All is now lost of the local LTTE organizations. Another camp was bombed, resulting in a large explosion, indicating an ammo dump had been hit.

January 11, 2007: In eastern Sri Lanka, troops captured another LTTE camps. Also taken were documents, which indicated some interesting details of LTTE intelligence work. Apparently the LTTE had senior police and military officials who would sell them information.

January 10, 2007: Fighting in eastern Sri Lanka left at least 16 dead. The fighting there involves three factions; the army, the LTTE and a breakaway LTTE faction (the Karuna Group.) The LTTE are losing ground, and supporters, rapidly.

In the capital, police searched for LTTE terrorists, and arrested 44 Tamils who did not have proper identification.

 

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