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Sri Lanka Repels Rebel Assault in Mannar Region, Military Says
bloomberg,
feb 21.
Feb. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Sri Lanka's army said it repelled an assault by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to regain land the rebels lost near Mannar, as a research group said the South Asian island nation's conflict is worse than before a 2002 truce.
The army ``thrashed a pre-dawn LTTE offensive attempt'' north of Parappakandal in Mannar yesterday, killing at least 30 rebel fighters, the Defense Ministry said on its Web site. There were no reports of the battle on the LTTE's Web site.
Sri Lanka's counter-insurgency campaign is ``more brutal and indiscriminate, the terror and criminal activities of its Tamil proxy forces more extensive and blatant'' than before the truce, the International Crisis Group said. The LTTE is mainly to blame for the conflict's resumption, it said, adding the rebels' cease-fire violations and abuse of civilians pushed the government to war.
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Published: Wed Feb 20 22:02:22 EST 2008
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UN urged to impose sanctions on Lankan armed groups for using kids
TOI,
feb 21.
WASHINGTON: An international human rights watchdog has asked the United Nations Security Council to impose sanctions on armed groups in Sri Lanka for using children in their forces.
The UN Security Council's working group on children and armed conflict will meet on Thursday for the second time since February 2007 to consider violations against children committed by the LTTE, Sri Lankan government forces, and the Karuna group, an armed group that split from the LTTE in 2004 and now cooperates with Sri Lankan forces, Human Rights Watch has said in a statement.
"The LTTE and the Karuna group continue to use children to fight their battles in clear violation of international law and Security Council resolutions," Jo Becker, children's rights advocate at Human Rights Watch said, adding the Security Council should punish their brazen violations with concrete action.
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Published: Wed Feb 20 22:41:34 EST 2008
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Military says 13 Tamil Tiger rebels, 5 soldiers killed in violence
Associated Press,
Wed February 20, 2008 12:04 EST .
- - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels fought battles in Sri Lanka - 's restive north and suspected rebels ambushed an army post in the south on Wednesday, killing 13 guerrillas and five soldiers, military said. Meanwhile, U.N. Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs Angela Kane began a weeklong visit to Sri Lanka - on Wednesday to review the world body's work in the island nation, a U.N. statement said. Several U.N agencies are active in Sri Lanka - , mainly to help victims of the civil war and the 2004 tsunami. The Tamil Tigers have been fighting since 1983 for an independent homeland for ethnic minority Tamils, who have been marginalized for decades by Sinhalese-dominated governments. The fighting has killed more than 70,000 people. Violence has increased in recent months, with the government opening four fronts against rebel-held territory and vowing to destroy the separatists by the end of the year. The rebels have responded with a wave of bombings against military targets, as well as civilian buses and train stations in the south.
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Published: Wed Feb 20 12:12:28 EST 2008
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