Sri Lanka says kills 21 rebels in fighting in north

COLOMBO, Apr 25 (Reuters) Sri Lankan troops killed at least 21 Tamil Tiger rebels in a string of gunfights and mortar duels in the north of the island today, a military spokesman said.

Two government troops were killed in the fighting that erupted in the districts of Mannar and Vavuniya, and dozens were wounded on both sides, the military said.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), fighting for independence in the north and east of the island, could not be reached for a comment.

Government forces attacked Tiger mortar and gun positions that had been intensified fire on 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. Some 26 were injured, he said.

On the government side, two soldiers were killed in the fighting and 12-15 were injured, he said.

Since 1983 the war in Sri Lanka has killed some 68,000 people, including more than 4,000 in the past 16 months. The intensified violence has left a 2002 ceasefire in tatters.

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