Sri Lanka, rebels claim many killed in fierce battles

Colombo, Apr 25 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's military said troops killed 21 Tamil Tiger rebels in gunbattles and mortar barrages in the north of the island today, citing intercepts of rebel radio communications.

But the Tigers denied they had suffered any casualties, and said 10 government soldiers were killed and about 50 wounded in a fierce, five-hour battle near the coastal town of Mannar.

Over the past 16 months, Sri Lanka has slipped deeper into a civil war that has claimed more than 68,000 lives since 1983 -- including more than 4,000 since late 2005. The intensified violence has left a 2002 ceasefire in tatters.

Government forces targeted Tiger mortar and gun positions that had been attacking forward lines in recent days, said Lieutenant-Colonel Upali Rajapakse, of the national security media centre.

''The Tigers got 15 killed in one place. At another place, five were killed, and at another one was killed,'' he said, adding the military had gleaned the figures from rebel radio communications.

About 26 rebels were injured, he said.

On the government side, two soldiers were killed and up to 15 were wounded, Rajapakse said.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who are fighting for independence in the north and east of the island, said they repulsed the attack.

''Sri Lankan troopers tried to advance into our area and were confronted by our troopers. The Sri Lankan troopers retreated to their original position with heavy casualties,'' rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiraiyan said by telephone from rebel-controlled territory.

''Around 10 were killed in action and around 50 wounded on the government side. Our side has no casualties.'' There was no way to independently verify the claims.

Casualty figures quoted by hospital workers in the town of Anuradhapura, southeast of the fighting, suggested the battles were intense and that the death toll could rise.

At the government-run Anuradhapura Hospital, 44 wounded government soldiers were admitted during the day and about half were in ''serious'' condition, a health worker said on condition of anonymity.

Nearby, the army hospital in Anuradhapura admitted 10 wounded soldiers, another worker said.

The fighting on Wednesday comes a day after the Tigers staged their second ever aerial attack, dropping bombs on a military position in the north, killing six soldiers.

The military said anti-aircraft fire thwarted the air raid, which was meant to attack the Palaly air strip, which is the only place the government can fly supplies to the Jaffna peninsula.

REUTERS RS BD2159