Battles rage between Sri Lanka's government troops, rebels

Fierce battles erupted between Sri Lanka's government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels on Saturday in the northern Vavuniya district, causing injuries to both parties, defense officials said Sunday.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fired mortars and artillery at military positions at Pompeimadu area since 9 p.m. Saturday night (1530 GMT), killing one soldier and injuring seven others.

Defense sources said the LTTE infiltrated military positions at Kalmadu and Irupudikulam and the Army hit back causing severe damages to the rebels.

The Media Center for National Security said the Army is conducting a search operation in the area.

Meanwhile, a local newspaper said police have banned trucks from coming into Colombo from rebel-held area in the northeast after Friday evening's discovery of heavily explosive laden lorry in the north western area of Kurunegala.

The Criminal Investigation Department has taken over the investigation into the explosives weighed around 1,000 kg, which was the biggest haul of explosives detected so far in the island country.

The upsurge in the island's ethnic separatist violence since the end of 2005 has so far claimed nearly 5,000 lives.

Claiming discrimination at the hands of the majority ethnic Sinhalese-dominated government, the LTTE has been fighting for an independent homeland for Sri Lanka's 12.5 percent Tamil minority since the 1970s.

Source: Xinhua