COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Government troops fought with separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in three areas of northern Sri Lanka in clashes that killed 13 of the guerrillas, the military said Tuesday while fighter jets pounded a northern rebel base. Soldiers repelled a group of rebels who tried to breach a defence line Monday night in Muhamalai on northern Jaffna peninsula, killing eight guerrillas, an official at the Defence Ministry information center said.Troops killed two more rebels near the defence line of Nagarkovil, also on the peninsula, early Tuesday, the official said on condition of anonymity citing government policy. Soldiers also spotted a group of rebels further south in Vavuniya district, and fired artillery, killing three more rebels, the official said.
Also on Tuesday, air force fighter jets bombed a rebel naval base in northern Mullaitivu district, the official said. Details of the damage were not available immediately, but the official said the pilots confirmed the target was hit.