Rebels Under Attack After Cease-Fire Call

Sri Lankan troops launched an offensive against Tamil Tiger positions today, hours after the rebels had declared a unilateral cease-fire to push forward a peace initiative. Military officials said troops began advancing in the northern Jaffna peninsula for their second operation against the rebels in a week. The Tamil rebels had announced a monthlong cease-fire beginning at midnight Christmas Eve as a goodwill measure and called on the government to reciprocate. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have been fighting since 1983 for an independent homeland for minority Tamils in the north and east.