The World : India Sri Lanka Pullout Set

Most of the Indian peace-keeping troops in Sri Lanka will end their 10-month-old deployment within 45 days, reducing the number of Indian personnel on the island nation to 25,000, an Indian military official said in Madras. The official, who requested anonymity, said Sri Lankan forces will assume security operations in the east, where the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a rebel group, have in recent weeks staged several attacks. “The phased withdrawal will not mean total withdrawal,” he said. New Delhi said it has deployed about 75,000 troops in Sri Lanka, but the Sri Lankan military and Defense Ministry sources said the figure is about 120,000.