Colombo: The United States today gifted high tech equipments to Sri Lanka to augment its fighting capabilities against the Tamil Tigers who are fighting for a separate homeland in the island nation for over two decades.

The equipments include Explosives Incident Countermeasures Kits and Hostage Negotiation kits. The US State Department's Office of Anti-terrorism Assistance donated about $2.2 lakh worth of equipments at a ceremony here.

The equipments were "gifted" to Sri Lanka to sustain and enhance the critical capabilities of the island nation's security forces, especially the Sri Lankan police, in their efforts to fight terrorism.

The assistance comprises of three Explosives Incident Countermeasures kits, two Post-Blast Investigation kits and two Hostage Negotiations kits, which will be divided between the Sri Lankan National Police (SLNP) and the Special Task Force (STF).

The STF, formed in 1983, is an elite special forces unit of the Sri Lankan police which specialises in counter- terrorist and counter-insurgency operations. Senior officials of the police and the Special Task force were present on the occasion.

The US assistance comes at a time when fierce fighting between the Tamil Tigers and the military has left over 1,000 rebels dead in the country's embattled north since the Sri Lankan government dumped a tattered ceasefire in January.

Source : PTI