Colombo denies it is withdrawing troops

By V. S. Sambandan

COLOMBO, MAY 5. Buoyed by having resisted the artillery fire by the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the past three days, Sri Lanka today ``strongly refuted'' having contemplated a withdrawal of troops from the embattled northern peninsula, where the Tigers are reportedly pressing ahead towards Jaffna town.

``All troops are determined to push back the terrorists,'' a Government statement on the security situation said adding that the troops had ``effectively repulsed all attempts'' by the LTTE in the general area of Kilali, which could turn out to be the last Army line preventing a LTTE overrun of the peninsula.

As the Army and the LTTE continued fighting in two sectors, the state-run Daily News'' said ``the Government has strongly refuted speculation that there would be a troops withdrawal from the Jaffna peninsula''.

A day after it imposed censorship on news, the Government said 458 LTTE militants, including 116 leaders were killed between April 27 and May 4. However, no details were given on the course of the battle.

While restrictions have been in place for the past two years on independent access for journalists to the conflict- zones, telecommunications to Jaffna have remained severed since the last week of April.

The LTTE has not made any new claims over the last three days regarding the ongoing ``Oyatha Alaigal-III'' offensive in the Kilali and the Nagar Kovil theatres of the Jaffna peninsula. Fighting has been reported from the Kilali and the Pallai- Kodigamam sectors, both of which are vital defence lines protecting over five lakh civilians from the ongoing battle. The changed nature of warfare with the two sides engaging each other with long-range artillery, has serious implications for the civilian population. Besides, the rebels' use of multi-barrel rocket launchers looms as a major threat to army positions.

Jaffna town, recaptured from the LTTE by the Army in 1995, is home to about five lakh civilians.

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