At least 13 Tamil Tiger rebels and one government soldier have been killed in fresh fighting in Sri LankaÂ’s north, the defence ministry said Wednesday.Security forces said they captured a long string of rebel defence bunkers in the northwestern district of Mannar early Wednesday, with the fighting also leaving 40 guerrillas and 12 government soldiers wounded. The latest casualty claims brings to at least 2,533 the number of rebels killed by security forces since January, according to defence ministry data. The ministry has reported losing 152 of its soldiers in the same period.
Casualty figures given by both sides cannot be independently confirmed because Colombo bars journalists and rights groups from front-line areas. The ministry also said its fighter jets bombed and inflicted “extensive damage” on a rebel base in Mullaittivu district in the northeast on Tuesday. There was no immediate comment from the Liberation Tigers of Eelam (LTTE).
A pro-rebel website, however, said the Tigers beat back an army offensive in Mannar on Tuesday, killing 15 soldiers and injuring 25 others. It did not give details of LTTE casualties.