Military: 35 Tamil rebels, 1 soldier killed in fighting in northern Sri Lanka

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI,Associated Press Writer AP - Saturday, July 5

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Government forces attacked Tamil Tiger rebels along Sri Lanka's northern front lines, triggering a series of gunbattles that killed 35 rebels and one soldier, the military said Saturday.

The latest fighting broke out in the Jaffna, Vavuniya, Welioya and Mannar regions bordering the rebels' de facto state in the north on Friday, said a defense ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of government regulations.

Fighting has escalated on this Indian Ocean island in recent months, with the military stepping up ground assaults and airstrikes on rebel-held territory. The government has pledged to crush the insurgents by the end of the year.

Troops captured a rebel bunker along the front lines in Vavuniya on Friday after a clash that killed two rebels and one soldier, the official said. Other battles in Vavuniya killed 18 rebels and wounded three soldiers.

Fighting in Mannar, Jaffna and Welioya left 15 rebels dead and one soldier wounded, he said.

Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan could not immediately be reached for comment.

It was not possible to independently verify the military reports because journalists are banned from the northern jungles where much of the fighting takes place. Each side commonly exaggerates its enemy's casualties and downplays its own.

The rebels have been fighting since 1983 to create an independent state for ethnic minority Tamils, who have been marginalized by successive governments controlled by ethnic Sinhalese. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

The government had vowed to end the insurgency by the end of this year, but army chief Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka told reporters Monday it may take another year to defeat the rebels.

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