A series of battles between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels killed 41 insurgents and two soldiers in northern Sri Lanka, the military said yesterday.
Separately, the air force bombed a rebel training base deep in the rebels’ northern territory, said military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara.
The civil war has escalated in recent months with near-daily airstrikes, sea and ground battles and frequent bombings.
The UN estimates that 200 civilians have been killed in targeted bomb attacks so far this year.
The latest infantry clashes broke out on Thursday along the front lines in the Vavuniya, Mannar and Welioya regions bordering the rebels’ de facto state in the north, Nanayakkara said.
In the worst fighting, army troops killed 22 guerillas in three separate battles in Vavuniya. Separate clashes in nearby Mannar killed 18 rebels, while two soldiers and one rebel were killed in Welioya, he said.
Nine rebels and nine soldiers were wounded in the battles, Nanayakkara said. Soldiers also found 16 rebel bodies from previous fighting in Vavuniya, he said.
Meanwhile, air force fighter jets pounded a rebel specialized training base in the guerrilla-held Mullaitivu district early yesterday.
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