September 03, 2008	Wednesday	Ramazan 2, 1429

COLOMBO, Sept 2: Sri Lankan soldiers seized a key rebel-held town on Tuesday after 12 days of fighting, easing access to several other rebel strongholds, the military said.

Military spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara said troops took control of Mallavi, which lies along an important northern road used by the rebels, and that its fall has opened up passage to other rebel locations.

Mallavi was also a key rebel “administrative hub” with offices and banks, he said. There are also offices of many foreign non-governmental organisations, Nanayakkara said.

He said casualty details from the battles were not immediately available.

The military’s success came a day after 43 rebels and four soldiers were killed in separate battles along the northern front, according to the military.

In the worst of Monday’s fighting, troops captured six bunkers in the Nachchikuda area of Kilinochchi region, killing 26 rebels, the military said. Fighting in the area also killed two soldiers, it said.—AP