Pak eyes larger share of SL's arms market

TOI, Feb 18, 2007. NEW DELHI: With an eye to corner a major share of Sri Lanka's military imports primarily aimed at countering the LTTE, a high-level Pakistani team led by Defence Secretary Tariq Waseem Ghazi will visit the island nation on Monday.

The visit comes in the wake of reports of alleged sleaze and bad quality arms received by Sri Lankan forces from Pakistan.

Colombo has placed orders worth up to 100 million dollars with Pakistan for tanks, armoured vehicles, different kinds of bombs, explosives, ammunition and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), premier journal Jane's Defence Weekly and Sri Lankan media reports have said, confirming that the value of the deals could go up to 200 million dollars in the next 18 months.

Rebel mortar fire injures civilians in Sri Lanka s northeast

people.com.cn, February 18, 2007. At least 3 civilians including a child were injured when the Tamil Tiger rebels fired mortars at a northeastern village, defense officials said Sunday.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fired mortars landed at Ethavatunuwewa village in Welioya, a northeastern border village around 2 a.m local time Sunday (2030 GMT).

Officials said the mortar landed on a bunker housing civilians located close to a military detachment. Meanwhile, the death toll on Saturday's claymore mine explosion in Jaffna peninsula had risen to 4, officials said.