Overnight battle for Sri Lanka's Jaffna peninsula
{{date|August 17, 2006}}
{{Sri Lanka news}}[[Image:Ceylan-map.png|thumb|The Jaffna peninsula is at the very north of [[w:Sri Lanka|Sri Lanka]]]]
[[w:Sri Lanka|Sri Lanka]] government forces repulsed an overnight offensive by the [[w:Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam|Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)]] in the northern Jaffna peninsula in some of the fiercest fighting since the 2002 truce.

The LTTE attempted an amphibious attack arriving in a flotilla of gunboats. Government troops drove them off, supported by artillery and aerial bombing.

According to a military spokesperson, Major Rajapakse, the army killed at least 98 Tamil Tigers and wounded twice as many. The army suffered 6 killed and 60 wounded.

"The situation has calmed down now after heavy fighting till early this morning," Rajapakse said.

The [[w:Ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka|ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka]] is an ongoing conflict between the [[w:Politics of Sri Lanka|Government of Sri Lanka]] and the [[w:Sri Lanka Tamils (native)|ethnic Sri Lankan Tamils]] on the island-nation of Sri Lanka. Since the [[w:Black July|1983 "Black July" pogrom]], there has been on-and-off civil war, mostly between the government and the LTTE who want to create an independent state of called [[w:Tamil Eelam|Tamil Eelam]] in the north and east of the island. It is estimated that the war has left 65,000 people dead since 1983 and caused great harm to the population and economy of the country. A cease-fire was declared in 2002, but hostilities renewed in late 2005 following military operations against Tiger-controlled territory in the east.

==Related==
*{{wikinews|title=Tamil Tigers say Sri Lanka's government bombed orphanage|date=August 14, 2006}}
*{{wikinews|title=Colombo land mine explosion kills seven|date=August 14, 2006}}

==Sources==
{{wikipediapar|Ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka}}
*{{source|url=http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-08-17T123503Z_01_COL313551_RTRUKOC_0_US-SRILANKA.xml
|title=Tigers attack in Sri Lanka north
|author=Peter Apps
|pub=Reuters
|date=August 17, 2006}}

*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5259544.stm
|title=Sri Lanka troops 'kill 75 rebels'
|author=
|pub=BBC News Online
|date=August 17, 2006}}

*{{source|url=http://www.capeargus.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=55&fArticleId=3398281
|title=Tamil Tiger rebels launch new attack
|author=
|pub=Cape Argus
|date=August 17, 2006}}

*{{source|url=http://www.bloomberg.com
|title=Sri Lanka Army Repulses Tamil Rebel's Jaffna Attack
|author=Anusha Ondaatjie and Paul Tighe
|pub=Bloomberg L.P.
|date=August 17, 2006}} <small>(See [[Talk:Overnight battle for Sri Lanka's Jaffna peninsula|Notes]])</small>

{{publish}}
{{Archive-unreviewed}}

[[Category:Politics and conflicts]]
[[Category:Asia]]
[[Category:Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan Civil War]]
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka government forces repulsed an overnight offensive by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the northern Jaffna peninsula in some of the fiercest fighting since the 2002 truce.

The LTTE attempted an amphibious attack arriving in a flotilla of gunboats. Government troops drove them off, supported by artillery and aerial bombing.

According to a military spokesperson, Major Rajapakse, the army killed at least 98 Tamil Tigers and wounded twice as many. The army suffered 6 killed and 60 wounded.

"The situation has calmed down now after heavy fighting till early this morning," Rajapakse said.

The ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka is an ongoing conflict between the Government of Sri Lanka and the ethnic Sri Lankan Tamils on the island-nation of Sri Lanka. Since the 1983 "Black July" pogrom, there has been on-and-off civil war, mostly between the government and the LTTE who want to create an independent state of called Tamil Eelam in the north and east of the island. It is estimated that the war has left 65,000 people dead since 1983 and caused great harm to the population and economy of the country. A cease-fire was declared in 2002, but hostilities renewed in late 2005 following military operations against Tiger-controlled territory in the east.

*

*

* (See Notes)
Politics and conflicts Asia Sri Lanka Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Sri Lankan Civil War