Sri Lanka Rebels Claim Control of Key Army Base

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka —  Rebels fighting for an independent homeland said they captured a key military complex Saturday after a furious two-day battle and inflicted heavy casualties on government troops.

Military spokesman Brig. Palitha Fernando said he could not confirm or deny the rebels’ claim to have seized the vital Elephant Pass base, which houses at least 10,000 troops, and the adjoining Yakachchi camp.

“We are unable to say either way at present,” Fernando said. “We are trying to get in touch with the north.”

The rebels said 1,000 government soldiers were killed in the bloody 48-hour operation to capture the base, but the military said only 49 soldiers and 150 rebels had died.

A military statement issued Saturday said that heavy fighting was continuing and that troops had “readjusted their defense line north of Elephant Pass.”

Attempts to reach military and government officials in the northern Jaffna peninsula were not successful. It is not possible to independently verify government and rebel claims because journalists are barred from the battle zone.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are fighting for a homeland for the minority Tamils. The war, which began in 1983, has left more than 60,000 people dead in this island nation. The rebels accuse the majority Sinhalese of discrimination against Tamils in education and jobs, a charge the government denies.

The base allegedly captured by the rebels Saturday guards the Elephant Pass, a strategic causeway linking the northern peninsula with the rest of the country. The area got its name from the elephants that once waded across the shallow lagoons in the area.

Since November, the rebels have been trying to seize the Elephant Pass causeway so that they can regain control of their former stronghold, Jaffna, which they lost in 1995. The battle escalated in March, with the rebels capturing small pockets along the 25-mile highway.