Fresh clashes in Sri Lanka
11 Tamil Tigers and two soldiers have been killed in two separate gun battles in the northwestern district of Mannar.
By HT Correspondent | IANS, Colombo
UPDATED ON JUN 17, 2008 10:45 AM IST
Even as Sri Lanka's defence ministry on Tuesday said that 11 Tamil Tigers and two soldiers had been killed in two separate gun battles in the northwestern district of Mannar, a state-run newspaper reported that the president is keen on setting up a security council to protect civilians from terrorism.
The ministry issued a statement saying troops attacked and destroyed a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) bunker and killed six rebels in a gun battle southwest of Periyamadhu in Mannar on Monday.
It added that, in a separate incident, soldiers attacked two LTTE bunkers in Mullikkandal area around 9.45 am. on Monday, killing five Tamil Tigers. Two soldiers were also killed while another suffered injuries.
There was no immediate reaction from the rebels.
Quoting official sources, the Daily News reported that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had decided "to invite all parties to establish an All Party People's Security Council" to protect civilians.
According to the report, the move is aimed at "reaching an all party consensus to protect the civilian polity from the threat of the LTTE".
"Preliminary talks pertaining to the matter are expected to commence next week," it added.
Over 200 civilians have been killed in a series of bomb blasts since the beginning of the year.
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