Colombo, Jan 17: Sri Lankan Government today challenged LTTE's contention that the outfit has the wherewithal to take on the army and said 250 rebels were killed since its decision to abrogate the ceasefire agreement.
Reacting to the statement of LTTE political chief N Nadesan, a senior military spokesman said the Tigers were hardly a conventional force which resorts to "cowardly acts of targeting civilians as has been demonstrated during the recent past".
"We are in a strong position, our cadres... Have the strength to defend this military offensive," Nadesan said yesterday.
"Definitely if they try to launch a major offensive against our forces, the Sri Lankan forces will face severe casualties," the LTTE leader said.
The Norway-brokered ceasefire agreement of 2002 between government and the Tamil Tigers formally ended yesterday.
The government gave notice on January 2 to pull out of the agreement.
"We are shocked and disappointed that the ceasefire has ended", Nadesan told BBC adding the outfit would fight back.
"We are in a strong position, our cadres... Have the strength to defend this military offensive," Nadesan said. "If they try to launch a major offensive against our forces the Sri Lankan forces will face severe casualties." The Sri Lankan military spokesman said at least 70 people have crossed over to the cleared areas in last three months from the LTTE dominated places.
He said the LTTE's strength is depleting as the outfit has already lost the battle in Eastern Sri Lanka.
When asked whether the LTTE resorted to forced recruitments, Nadesan said "They like to join us. We never force people. LTTE is a people's organisation".
On its resorting to hit and run tactics, Nadesan said "we will never revert to guerrilla warfare".
He said LTTE was not involved in the recent claymore mine attack that killed Minister D M Dassanayake and in the bomb attack in Nugegoda in November that killed 19 people. "We are a conventional force. We will launch attacks on military targets. We will not target civilians," Nadesan said. (Agencies)
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