(AKI) - The Sri Lankan army's final offensive against Tamil Tiger militants in the north of the country met with strong resistance as troops advanced into the last rebel stronghold, reports from the frontline said on Wednesday, quoted by the Press Trust of India news agency.Fierce clashes between Sri Lankan troops and Tamil Tiger rebels in the town of Puthukkudiyiruppu left 22 rebels dead, the reports said.
At least six people were killed and many others were wounded when troops fired a shell near a makeshift hospital at Puthumaaththalan, according to the pro-Tamil website TamilNet.
Three airforce fighter jets also bombed Iranaippaalai twice on Tuesday, TamilNet reported. The Sri Lankan army has sustained heavy casualties since Sunday, unnamed sources close to the Tamil rebels told the website.
A senior military officer in the area said Puthukkudiyiruppu was the army's "last objective" and the war could be over in a few days.
The army said its endgame against the Tamil rebels was being delayed by the presence of an estimated 70,000 civilians inside in a shrinking coastal area of jungle, into which the army claims to have driven the rebels.
Independent journalists are not permitted to travel to the conflict zone so reports from either side cannot be verified.
The plight of civilians trapped in the combat zone has sparked United Nations-led calls for a truce to allow civilians to leave. The United States and the European Union have also been pressing for a ceasefire.
The UN and various governments have also accused the Tamil rebels of attacking escaping civilians. Some 35,000 civilians have crossed the front lines even though the rebels were firing on fleeing men, women and children, government officials said.
Last Friday Tamil rebels staged a surprise aerial attack on the capital, using two Czech-made planes.
The International Red Cross and the UN have both warned that a humanitarian catastrophe was unfolding in the region.