Tamil Tigers Announce Cease-Fire For Summit

Sri Lankan soldiers stand guard in the town of Jaffna, northern Sri Lanka, in April 2008. Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have announced they would observe a unilateral ceasefire coinciding with a South Asian leaders' summit that starts on the island this week.(AFP/File/Lakruwan Wanniarachchi)

From CNN:

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) -- Sri Lankan rebels said Monday that a new round of peace talks on ending the country's 25-year-old civil war is impossible as long as the government presses ahead with a military offensive.

But they announced Tuesday that they would observe a unilateral cease-fire during a South Asian summit to be held in the capital, Colombo, at the end of the month.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa said earlier this month he was prepared to restart long-dormant talks with the Tamil Tiger rebels if the group lays down its arms and ceases bombings and other attacks across the country.

Read more ....

More News On Sri Lanka's Civil War

Sri Lanka rebels offer ceasefire for SAsia summit -- Yahoo News
Sri Lanka rebels declare ceasefire for SAARC summit -- Reuters
Sri Lankan Rebels Declare Truce for Regional Summit (Update2) -- Bloomberg
Tamil Tigers declare ten-day truce -- Radio Netherlands
Lankan Govt cautious over LTTE truce offer -- The Hindu
Sri Lanka rejects rebel ceasefire for SAsia summit -- Radio Australia

My Comment: The Sri Lankan Government is now going all out to destroy LTTE command and control centers. This is a fight to the finish, and I suspect the Sri Lankan rebels are now aware of this, and have offered a ceasefire because they are not prepared for the offensive that is now taking place. The Sri Lankan Government is throwing everything into the fight .... I can now predict that the next few months will produce more casualties than what 25 years of warfare have produced.

With the absence of international condemnation, India not being involved (officially), and a Sri Lankan Government determined to end this .... this war and its aftermath is going to be very bloody.

Tamil Tiger Sea Base 'Captured'

From The BBC News:

The Sri Lankan military says it has captured a key coastal town in the north-west from Tamil Tiger rebels.

The military says Vidattaltivu, about 20km (12 miles) from the town of Mannar, was used by the rebels' naval wing to smuggle in supplies from India.

The Tigers, who retain control of other bases further up the north-west coast, have not commented on the claims.

The rebels have been fighting for a separate state for the island's ethnic Tamil minority for a generation.

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Sri Lanka military captures key northern town -- Reuters India
Sri Lankan military: Army captures key rebel naval base in north -- Canadian Press
Key LTTE base captured, 30 rebels killed in Lanka -- The Hindu
Sri Lanka Says Its Troops Captured Rebels' Naval Base -- Bloomberg

My Comment: The Sri Lankan military is now trying to cut all military supply links with India. They know that the LTTE (The Tigers) gets most (if not all) of their military supplies from India. Cutting this link will significantly cripple the LTTE ..... a goal that has now been achieved.

Sri Lanka War Updates -- July 16, 2008

A LTTE car with soldiers (Wikimedia)

Fom Yahoo News/AP:

Sri Lanka military: Fighting kills 28 rebels,
4 soldiers as air force attack rebel position

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Helicopter gunships hit a Tamil Tiger rebel position in northern Sri Lanka Tuesday, a day after battles across the embattled region left four soldiers and 28 guerrillas dead, the military said.

The worst of Monday's fighting took place along the northern front lines in Mannar, where 11 rebels were killed, military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said.

He said three soldiers on a foot patrol in the Jaffna area were killed by a bomb. Other deadly battles erupted in Vavuniya and Welioya.

The gunships attacked a rebel gathering point in Mannar on Tuesday, in support of troops fighting the rebels on the ground, said air force spokesman Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara.

Read more ....

More News On Sri Lanka's Civil War

Lankan troops kill 62 LTTE terrorists in two areas -- Al Watan Daily
Fresh Sri Lanka fighting kills 32 in north -- Reuters
Sri Lanka military: Fighting kills 28 rebels, 4 soldiers as air force attack rebel position -- International Herald Tribune
Sri Lanka Violence Leaves 28 Rebels, 4 Soldiers Dead -- FOX News
War is only job available in Sri Lankan village -- AP
Renegade rebel leader returns to Sri Lanka to take peaceful role -- Earth Times
Fresh Sri Lanka violence leaves dozens dead over weekend -- Relief Web
Indian Is Covertly Supporting The LTTE -- Tamil Star

My Comment: There are rumors that India is covertly supporting the Tigers (LTTE) in their war with the central government of Sri Lanka. With numerous LTTE defeats in the past three months, the concern was that India would intervene. If they do intervene, it would change the dynamics of this civil war dramatically. The next few months will be critical in how this war will end ..... or how this war will escalate into something worse.