Both the government troops and the Tamil Tiger rebels continued to engage in fierce sporadic clashes and high-pitched artillery duels in the northern Wanni region, aiming to pre-empt any major advancement buid up by the other side.

According to latest claims by the Sri Lanka, at least eight Tamil Tiger rebels and two government soldiers were killed and over fifty combatants were wounded when both sides locked in intense artillery bombardment ahead of their respective Forward Defence Lines (FDL) in northern Wanni region late on Saturday.

The Defence Ministry said that at least eight Tigers were killed and 20 more injured when the military directed heavy artillery fire towards LTTE positions on two occasions in Thampanai and Periyathampanai areas on Saturday evening.

“One army soldier was killed and seven others suffered injuries in the same incidents,” the Defence Ministry said.
They added that the troops manning the Forward Defence Lines (FDL)in the general area Periyathampanai, located on the borders of the Vavuniya-Mannar districts, have also encountered heavy LTTE artillery fire on Saturday evening.

20 cadres injured
Claiming that one more soldier was killed and seven others were wounded in similar clashes , it said that the intercepted LTTE radio conversations “have revealed that 20 cadres suffered injuries when army artillery shells had fallen close to a tractor carrying LTTE cadres”.

There were immediate reactions from the LTTE regarding these claims this time as well.

Undeclared war
Although Colombo and the LTTE have verbally reiterated their unreserved commitments to the five-year-long Norwegian-brokered Ceasefire Agreement, both parties are virtually engaged in an undeclared war over the past one year, leaving no space for resumption of peace talks.

Fresh violence has left over 5,000 people in Lanka killed and several thousands displaced since December last year.