SRI LANKAN SOLDIERS PATROL THE STREETS IN MANNAR.
Sri Lankan soldiers patrol the streets in the northwestern town of Mannar June 23 after two of their colleagues were shot at by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels. Shops were closed as soldiers began a search and cordon operation to round up the suspects. The military opened a highway to Mannar in 1997, but sporadic attacks by the rebels do take place in the town where most people make a living by fishing. Some parts of the district are still held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels.
AL/JIR/JRE