Fifteen Tamil aid workers killed as Sri Lankan violence intensifies

FIFTEEN Tamil civilians working for a French aid agency were found slain in north-eastern Sri Lanka after fierce battles between rebels and the government over water supplies, relief agency officials said yesterday.

The Tamil Tiger rebels, meanwhile, said they had repelled a government military offensive to regain control of a reservoir supply canal that has been the focus of intensified fighting.

Military spokesman Major Upali Rajapakse denied the claim, saying the offensive was still ongoing.