Rebels hand over bodies of 74 soldiers

Tamil Tigers handed the bodies of 74 dead soldiers to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) today, a day after the rebels claimed they were killed during intense battles on northern Jaffna peninsula.

The government said that 55 soldiers had died.

Heavy fighting subsided today at the battle sites, but sporadic artillery fire continued across the front lines, according to the Media Centre for National Security, a day after fighter jets pounded rebel positions, triggering fierce fighting in the besieged region.

An ICRC spokesman said the bodies of 74 soldiers were transferred to them today by the rebels. They are being taken to the government-controlled district of Vavuniya, in northern Sri Lanka. The government said that 55 soldiers were killed in the fighting, along with more than 200 rebels.

Later, the Sri Lankan government said it remained committed to peace talks with Tamil Tiger separatists, despite raging battles a day earlier that the military said killed 200 rebels and 55 soldiers.

The government said it would not abandon plans to attend the talks despite the fresh outbreak of fighting.

“There is no change of plans on the talks and the decision (to attend) remains,” government spokesman Anura Priya Yapa told reporters in the capital, Colombo.

In Washington, the US government welcomed the planned talks but cautioned that continuing violence is creating doubts on whether the talks will take place.

“We call on both sides to cease hostilities immediately and foster an environment that is conducive to holding productive discussions in Geneva,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said, adding that Washington is “deeply concerned that ongoing violence in Sri Lanka is putting the agreement at risk".

McCormack urged both sides to ensure that aid groups have access to the conflict zone.