Sri Lankan soldiers captured a Tamil separatist post on a northern front line Saturday after a battle that killed eight insurgents and one soldier, the military said, according to AP. The battle erupted about 10:00 a.m. when troops launched an attack on Tamil Tiger rebel bunkers in the village of Parappakandal in Mannar district, just south of rebel-held territory, said military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara. The ensuing battle killed eight guerrillas and one soldier, while 12 rebels and six soldiers were wounded, he said. After the battle, soldiers captured a rebel post at a crossing point between government-held and rebel territory, Nanayakkara said. The crossing point at Uyilankulam has not functioned since September when the International Committee of the Red Cross withdrew its personnel _ who had ensured the safety of people crossing _ citing escalating violence. The military's claim could not be independently verified because access to the area is restricted. Telephone calls to rebel headquarters went unanswered. There has been a major escalation in fighting in recent weeks along the front lines surrounding the Tamil Tiger rebels' de facto state in parts of the north. The military has pushed forward with the aim of crushing the separatist movement and ending nearly a quarter-century of war on this Indian Ocean island. At least 42 rebels have been killed in the past three days in the north, according to the military. The rebels began fighting in 1983 to create an independent homeland for ethnic minority Tamils after decades of discrimination under governments controlled by the Sinhalese majority. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict. A 2002 cease-fire between the Tamil Tigers and the government broke down two years ago.
