(Xinhua) -- Heavy clashes have been reported in Sri Lanka's northern battle front as the troops extended their forward defense lines, Ministry of Defense said here Tuesday. "Heavy clashes have been reported between Army infantrymen and the terrorists in the North of Mulliyawali from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Monday as troop extended their forward boundaries further northwards. Intercepted terrorist radio transmissions have confirmed heavy damages to the terrorists during these clashes" a statement said. The current military operations have forced the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels to be confined to a triangular shaped area edged by the A-9 road from the West, A-34 road from the South and the northeastern coastal belt, the ministry said.
Meanwhile the International Committee of the Red Cross and the military both said that some 17 dead bodies of soldiers were handed over by the rebels to the Army at Omanthai in the northern Vavuniya district on Monday night. The rebels have lost large chunks of territory in the current forward march by the military in the Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu districts, the last of the bastions for rebels in the island's north and east.