Fresh battle between Lankan troops and LTTE kill 12 soldiers

Colombo, July 14 (UNI) At least 12 Sri Lankan army personnel and four LTTE cadres were feared killed and 10 more wounded in a fresh gun-battle between the two sides in the restive eastern Batticaloa district today, officials sources here said.

Military spokesman, Brig Prasad Samarasinghe said the fresh clash had erupted when the army troops on a clearing patrol at Vakaneri in the restive Batticaloa district came under the attack by a group of LTTE cadres with small arms and mortars.

''At least four soldiers were wounded and few soldiers are missing following the clash that had lasted over an hour,'' he said, adding that the reinforcement had been sent to the scene.

However, Reuters report quoting Kayal Viliyan, a senior rebel in the Tigers' eastern political office in the district of Batticaloa, said, ''We have found 22 bodies, and we are still searching''.

''They came into our area and we retaliated. We have also captured some military personnel,'' he was quoted as saying said.