Sri LankaÂ’s government said Tuesday its soldiers had advanced into territory held by the Tamil Tigers in the north of the island, with the death toll from two days of fighting at 69.The rebels meanwhile accused the army of setting off a roadside bomb in the north that killed eight civilians and wounded 35. In the latest fighting, the defence ministry said its troops smashed 16 guerrilla bunkers in the district of Mannar on Tuesday and killed at least 22 rebels. Security forces also killed 45 rebels along the northern frontlines on Monday, the ministry said, putting its own losses at two soldiers dead and 10 wounded.
There was no immediate comment from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), but a pro-rebel website said the guerrillas were using booby-trapped devices and snipers against attacking troops. “Sri Lanka Army triggered a Claymore mine targeting a school bus,” the website said, adding that children were among the dead.
It said the attack took place on Tuesday afternoon in the Mannar area, and blamed a Sri Lankan army “deep penetration unit” - a small group of commandos that operates behind guerrilla lines. Since the beginning of January, the Sri Lankan defence ministry says its forces have killed 815 rebels for the loss of just 30 soldiers. Both sides are known to give wildly varying casualty figures which cannot be independently verified. The government bars reporters from visiting frontline areas and rebel-held territory.
Sri Lanka pulled out of a Norwegian-brokered truce with the rebels this month, underscoring its belief that it has the upper hand in the drawn-out conflict. Tens of thousands of people have died since the LTTE launched its campaign to carve out an independent homeland for minority Tamils in the majority Sinhalese nation in 1972.