COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan army's offensive against rebel Tamil Tigers now includes attacks on Kilinochchi, the rebels' de facto capital, military leaders said Monday.
Troops have been advancing from three directions around Kilinochchi since Sunday, a Sri Lankan military spokesman told the BBC.
Kilinochchi is a major target of the government's offensive to try to defeat the rebels and end their long fight for a separate state for the ethnic Tamil minority, the British broadcaster reported from Colombo. The Tamil Tigers have political offices, courts, a police headquarters and other administrative facilities in Kilinochchi.
With communication lines to the north severed, the Tigers have not commented on the Sri Lankan military's claims directly. However, the TamilNet Web site, which reports from rebel areas, said at least 78 government soldiers had been killed in battles around Kilinochchi since Friday, the BBC reported.
Sri Lankan military leaders said both sides suffered casualties.
