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Lankan military says 35 Tigers killed in east
Colombo, April. 3 (PTI): At least 35 Tamil Tigers were killed by the government forces in fierce clashes in eastern Sri Lanka, where a deadly bus bombing blamed on the rebels had left 16 civilians dead and 25 wounded, the Defence Ministry said today. In one encounter, the Defence Ministry, said that 23 Tamil Tigers were killed while one soldier lost his life in the eastern district of Batticaloa yesterday.

"In the limited humanitarian operation in the west and south of Batticaloa, we have found 10 bodies of the LTTE cadre," Defence Ministry spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe told reporters here. "Altogether, 23 Tigers have been killed in the fighting yesterday."
Think of what a full-blown humanitarian offensive could do
Local officials said they were surprised by the ministry's claims of fighting as there were no indications of any heavy clash yesterday except the bus bombing blamed on the Tigers in the neighbouring district of Ampara. There was no immediate word from the Tigers about the military claims.

In the north-western district of Mannar, another 12 Tiger rebels were killed on Sunday, the ministry said in a statement. "Intercepted LTTE communication confirmed their total losses as 12," the ministry said. "No harm was reported to the security forces. A search operation is in progress in the area."

Police said an investigation was underway over yesterday's bus bombing in the district of Ampara which is just south of Batticaloa.
Posted by: Steve 2007-04-03
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=184805