Using tanks, artillery and airstrikes, the military launched a fresh strike on the heartland of Tamil Tiger rebel territory Sunday after a long lull, military officials said.
It was the first major push for more than a month by security forces, who had dug in north of the rebel-held northern town of Kilinochchi, a gateway to the jungle stronghold of Wanni held by the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
A Red Cross official who came to the army-held town of Vavuniya, 44 miles south of Kilinochchi, from the rebel-controlled area said he heard heavy bombing and saw military planes.
Diplomats said Sunday that bickering by the ruling and opposition parties appeared likely to scuttle a peace package proposed by President Chandrika Kumaratunga last year.
The package, offering to devolve wide-ranging powers to minority Tamils, aims to end the war, which the government says has killed more than 50,000 people.
