December19, 2006:
The daily artillery and mortar fire in the northern and southern LTTE
enclaves, but only in the east is there a lot of infantry action. The
government is confident enough in its position to allow the mobile phone
companies to restore service in northern Sri Lanka. This service was ordered
shut down after August 11, when fighting with the LTTE resumed. Since then, the
LTTE has suffered a string of defeats.
December
18, 2006: The LTTE kidnapped (or "recruited") twenty-four 16-17 year
old Tamil students in eastern Sri Lanka. All but three of those taken were
girls, which the LTTE uses as light infantry or suicide bombers. The LTTE has
promised to stop this sort of thing, but they are suffering more and more
desertions, and are desperate to maintain their armed strength.
December
17, 2006: Fighting in the east has left over 300 dead in the last week,
including 28 soldiers, over a hundred LTTE, and the rest civilians or LTTE
dissidents. The LTTE are in danger of losing control of Tamil areas in the
east, mainly because they are cut off from larger LTTE forces in the
north. The LTTE appears to be trying to prevent Tamil civilians from
fleeing areas they control in eastern Sri Lanka. The LTTE can use civilians as
human shields for their artillery positions, or base camps for their
fighters.
December
16, 2006: Indian police are turning up more weapons, apparently meant for the
LTTE in Sri Lanka. The LTTE can't get artillery ammo from Indian sources (India
uses different calibers), but can obtain explosives, small arms ammo and
rockets. The fighting in eastern Sri Lanka has increased as government forces
and rebels within the LTTE attack the LTTE itself. Thousands of civilians are
fleeing the fighting, and increasing LTTE efforts to kidnap Tamil teenagers,
and turn them into gunmen.
December
15, 2006: In the east, a clash between hard line and reform (Karuna) LTTE
factions led to the death of twenty hard line fighters, and the capture of a
dozen teenage (13-16 years old) recruits. The kids were disarmed and released.