The Sri Lankan military launch offensive

The Sri Lankan military launched an offensive against the main Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) headquarters in the town of Kilinochchi on 3 October 2008. Military commanders stated that a massive air raid bombarded militant positions as ground troops moved to within 2 mi/4 km of the LTTE political office headquarters. The Sri Lankan government reported that at least 42 militants have been killed while LTTE representatives claim that the attack also took the lives of two innocent civilians. Officials at the Defense Ministry in Colombo have indicated that the new offensive is part of an overall effort to use the Sri Lankan military to defeat LTTE rebels. The fierce clashes came as U.N. humanitarian aid arrived in northern Sri Lanka to be delivered to refugees from the fighting. A U.N. convoy reportedly delivered at least 800 tons of food to an estimated 200,000 people who have been affected by the conflict. The Sri Lankan government suspended humanitarian aid deliveries in early September because of the intense clashes with LTTE rebels.