Two Tamil guerrillas and a Sri Lankan soldier were killed in continuing clashes in the war-torn countryÂ’s north, as troops recovered weapons, explosives, and a suicide-bomber vest, the military said Saturday. The latest fighting between the Tamil Tigers and the military occurred near Madu village, about 220 kilometers (135 miles) northwest of the capital Colombo, the Defense MinistryÂ’s information center said in a statement. The Madu clashes were the latest in a surge of violence in the countryÂ’s north and east that have killed 5,000 people in the past 18 months, shattering a Norway-brokered cease-fire signed five-years ago with strong international backing. More than 20 rebels and two soldiers have died in the last four days in fighting around Madu, the military said.
The Tiger rebels have denied suffering major losses. Soldiers on a search operation, meanwhile, found a vest for suicide bombings, 750 grams of explosives, and assault rifles in northern Jaffna peninsula _ the cultural heartland of minority Tamils, 300 kilometers (185 miles) north of the capital, Colombo, the Defense Ministry said. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels were the first group to employ explosive-laden vests for suicide attacks, after they launched their campaign for a separate Tamil homeland in 1983.