Sri Lanka artillery duel kills 27, president vows to destroy rebels
COLOMBO (AFP) — Artillery exchanges left at least 25 Tamil rebels and two Sri Lankan soldiers dead, the defence ministry said Monday after the president vowed to destroy the separatist guerrillas.
Ten soldiers were wounded in the heavy fighting in the north of the island on Sunday, the ministry said.
It said that the military also carried out fresh air attacks against a suspected Tamil Tiger communications centre inside rebel-held territory on Monday. There were no further details.
President Mahinda Rajapakse told a public rally in central Sri Lanka Sunday that the government had no plans to halt military operations against the Tigers.
His office said he reiterated that until "every inch of land is captured and the last terrorist is destroyed" his government will not call off "liberation operations against the LTTE."
There was no immediate comment from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which has been fighting for an independent homeland for minority Tamils since 1972.
However, the pro-rebel Tamilnet.com website reported that the Sri Lankan military had pulled back after suffering heavy casualties following six hours of artillery fire in Mannar.
The rebels later seized military hardware after troops withdrew, Tamilnet said, quoting LTTE local commanders.
Last month, Rajapakse told the country on the 60th anniversary of independence from Britain that "terrorism is receiving an unprecedented defeat" after the government pulled out of a truce with the rebels in January.
Since the beginning of the year, at least 1,779 rebels and 99 government soldiers have been killed in fighting, according to the defence ministry. Aid workers say more than 170 civilians have also perished during the same period.
Sri Lanka plans to spend a record 1.57 billion dollars on defence in calendar 2008, up 20 percent from last year, according to figures presented to the national parliament.
Rising defence spending and concerns over the island's human rights record have seen several countries withhold bilateral aid to the island.
"We are no longer a poor country thriving on aid and subsidies of the world," Rajapakse said on Sunday.
"We need not put our head down to anybody, but we are prepared to listen to constructive criticism and prudent advice of others."
