Sri Lanka military kills 70 rebels in a day

Colombo, June 20: Sri Lankan troops killed around 30 TamilTigers in a clash overnight in jungle in the island's restive east, themilitary said today, hours after the navy said it had killed around 40insurgents in a sea battle.

The military said soldiers had captured a rebel bunker line duringthe clash in a swathe of landlocked eastern jungle called Thoppigala,where Tiger fighters are still entrenched after the fall of theireastern stronghold.

That fight in turn came hours after the navy said late yesterdayit had destroyed five Tiger vessels after coming under attack from twodozen rebel boats off Sri Lanka's far northern tip.

''We have captured an LTTE bunker line in Thoppigala. There areabout 30 dead bodies,'' a military spokesman said, declining to benamed in line with policy.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who are fighting foran independent state in the island's north and east and are widelylisted as a banned terrorist group, had no immediate comment on themilitary's claims.

There was no independent confirmation of what had happened or of any casualties.

The land battle and clash at sea off Point Pedro in the northernarmy-held Jaffna peninsula, which is cut off from the rest of theisland by rebel lines, are the latest in a string of land and seabattles and air strikes in recent months.

Fighting is now focused on the north after the military capturedthe Tigers' eastern stronghold earlier this year. Around 4,500 peoplehave been killed since last year alone.

The government has vowed to destroy the Tigers militarily, therebels have threatened to use all of their means to battle the state --which include suicide bombers and light aircraft smuggled into thecountry in pieces which have been used in a series of bombing raids.

Analysts say there is no clear winner on the horizon and fear aconflict that has killed nearly 70,000 people since 1983 could rumbleon for years.

Reuters

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