1.   Hundreds of Sri Lankan soldiers have penetrated rebel defences and closed in on the centre of the besieged Jaffna town amid heavy resistance, the military said Tuesday.

2.   In a statement Tuesday, the LTTE said government forces tried to penetrate rebel defences but were halted by a fierce counterattack.

3.   But although it looked heroic at no point did they ever seem likely to penetrate the defence and in the end it broke down on a knock-on.

4.   Tiger guerrillas have been trying to penetrate the defences of the Trincomalee port where navy craft had been blasted by LTTE suicide frogmen in the past.

5.   The LTTE said government forces tried to penetrate rebel defences but were halted by a fierce rebel counter-attack.

6.   The LTTE said government forces tried to penetrate rebel defences by doing a manoeuvre but were halted by a ferocious counter attack by the guerrillas.

7.   The LTTE said government forces tried to penetrate rebel defences but were halted by a counterattack.