Military Struggles to Hold Off Rebels

Army helicopters and buses carried hundreds of Sri Lankan soldiers to the northern front lines, a senior officer said, as the military struggled to hold off a major rebel offensive. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which is seeking an independent state, captured a broad stretch of territory in the island nation’s northern jungles. The army has abandoned post after post, and hundreds of soldiers have been killed or have disappeared in surrounding jungles. President Chandrika Kumaratunga said she planned to start talks with the rebels “as soon as it is practically possible to do so.”