COLOMBO - Heavy fighting in northern Sri Lanka killed at least 35 Tiger rebels and eight soldiers, the defence ministry said on Sunday. Government troops battled the rebels in the Mannar district on Saturday and claimed to have killed 35 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres and wounded 39 guerrillas, the statement said.Eight soldiers died during SaturdayÂ’s clashes while 13 troops were injured, it said.
There was no immediate comment from the LTTE, but the rebels in the past have rejected military casualty claims.