Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels (LTTE) have halted an offensive on the eastern town of Muttur, putting an end to recent hostilities in the predominantly Muslim town. "The offensive operation in Muttur has stopped and the LTTE is going back to its former positions in our own territory," a Tiger source told Reuters on condition of anonymity. According to the same source, the LTTE was pulling back because they want thousands of Muslims who fled their homes on Friday to return. "It was a limited operation, and we are doing this on humanitarian grounds," the source told Reuters.
| “'The government can play with semantics, but it's hard to see what's going on as anything but a war,' said one Western diplomat...” |
The government insists it is committed to the 2002 truce, and said that hostilities would stop if the Tigers kept their word. Analysts, however, fear that more clashes are in store. "The government can play with semantics, but it's hard to see what's going on as anything but a war," said one Western diplomat.