Jaffna Under Threat
25 October 1995
COLOMBO () -- Sri Lankan army columns advancing on the Tamil guerrilla-held north have linked up after a big battle and are poised for a final assault on the rebels' prized city of Jaffna, diplomats said Tuesday.
After the battle with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, on Sunday, three divisions combined into a single force of several thousand troops just five kilometers from the city, one diplomat said.
If the army takes Jaffna, diplomats say it would be a big psychological boost for government troops and a blow to the morale of rebels, who are fighting for an independent homeland for the island's Tamil minority in the north and the east.
After the battle with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, on Sunday, three divisions combined into a single force of several thousand troops just five kilometers from the city, one diplomat said.
If the army takes Jaffna, diplomats say it would be a big psychological boost for government troops and a blow to the morale of rebels, who are fighting for an independent homeland for the island's Tamil minority in the north and the east.
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