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Sri Lankan military: Fresh fighting kills 27 rebels, 2 soldiers in north

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI,Associated Press Writer AP - Wednesday, July 2

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - New fighting between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels along Sri Lanka's northern front lines killed 27 rebels and two soldiers, the military said Wednesday.

Fighting erupted Tuesday in the Vavuniya and Welioya regions bordering the rebels' de facto state in the north, the military said.

The fighting in Vavuniya killed 16 rebels and one soldier, while in the nearby Welioya region, 11 rebels and one soldier died, 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 government earlier vowed to crush the insurgents by the end of this year. However, the island's army chief, Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, told reporters Monday that it may take another year to defeat the rebels.

The Tamil Tiger rebels have fought 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.

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