Sri Lankan troops have withdrawn from a key base straddling the isthmus land route to northern Jaffna after a ferocious attack by Tamil Tiger rebels, military officials said on Sunday.
Heavy fighting continues.
A defence ministry statement said seven officers and 72 soldiers had been killed and some 625 troops injured in the latest fighting. The defence ministry said air force ground attack aircraft had bombed identified LTTE targets on Sunday. Analysts said the fall of Elephant Pass opened the way for the LTTE to recapture Jaffna, the stronghold they lost in 1996. Defence analyst Iqbal Athas said the rebel victory gave them bargaining power if they were to open talks with the government, which Norway has offered to facilitate. Both sides have suffered hundreds of casualties since the LTTE launched the latest offensive four weeks ago.