The World - News from Aug. 21, 1988

Nine guerrillas were killed in Sri Lanka and more than 200 were captured by Indian peacekeeping forces in a major assault on rebel positions in the north, security sources said in Colombo, the capital. The operation against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was conducted in the jungle region of Vavuniya, 150 miles north of Colombo. An Indian spokeswoman said the operation will continue for several days, adding that more than 5,000 Indian troops are engaged in the search for guerrilla hide-outs. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is the most powerful of several rebel groups seeking an independent state in Tamil-dominated regions in northern and eastern Sri Lanka.