Tigers kill four Sri Lankan soldiers in fresh clashes

Colombo, May 21 (UNI) At least four Sri Lankan soldiers were killed and three more wounded in two separate clashes with the Tamil Tiger rebels this morning, Defence Ministry here said.

Two soldiers were killed when LTTE launched a pre-dawn attack on a group of soldiers on foot patrol around the Forward Defence Lines (FDLs) of Welioya, located near the rebel-heartland of Mullaitivu district, a Defence Ministry report said, adding that the Tigers too have sustained heavy casualties.

In a separate incident, a tractor-trailer carrying a group of government soldiers came under a claymore mine attack by the rebels around 0815 hours this morning in the west of Omanthai, in the north-central Vavuniya district.

''Two Soldiers were killed in the explosion. Three injured soldiers were admitted to Vavuniya hospital,'' the Ministry report said adding that a search operation was underway in the area.

Both the government troops and the LTTE have carried out several attacks in these areas during the past couple of weeks, leaving several combatants killed and wounded.

UNI