Sri Lankan troops confronted Tamil Tiger guerrillas in the islandÂ’s north killing two rebels in separate incidents, the military said Sunday. Both clashes happened in Navatkulam village in northern Vavuniya district Saturday, the defence ministry information centre said in a statement. The fighting was part of worsening violence along the front lines surrounding the Tamil TigersÂ’ de facto state in parts of Sri LankaÂ’s north.
On Saturday, the military announced that it killed 31 rebels and lost one soldier in several clashes the day before. Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan could not be reached for comment on the militaryÂ’s claims.