Heavy Fighting Claims Large Number of Soldiers, Tigers

A pro-LTTE website has published a report backed by photographs claiming the LTTE has inflicted heavy casualties to the security forces in fighting in the general areas of Vannearikku'lam and Naachchikkudaa in Vanni district. The reports claim up to 75 army personnel may have lost their lives and large number of weapons have fallen into the hands of the LTTE. Defence.lk, the official website of the Ministry of Defence reported heavy fighting in the area but made no mention of the large number of casualties. Independent verification of casualty figures is almost impossible as journalists are not allowed near the front lines. But experts agree that both sides have lost a large number of fighters but the results of latest fighting has tilted slightly in the favour of the security forces. While the government has vowed to "liberate" Kilinochchi by year's end, the LTTE has offered stiff resistence within the Kilinochchi district - according to some reports - even going to the extent of using local residents as human shields and giving children and the elderly mandatory training on warfare. The UN and other international organizations have urged the LTTE not to involve civilians in the fighting and to allow the residents to make their way out of Killinochchi to government controlled areas where the government has setup relief camps.