Sri Lanka military says kills 30 rebels in clash

COLOMBO, June 20 (Reuters) Sri Lankan troops killed around 30 Tamil Tiger fighters overnight in a jungle on the island's restive east and captured a rebel bunker line, the military said today.

''We have captured an LTTE bunker line in Thoppigala. There are about 30 dead bodies,'' a military spokesman said, declining to be named in line with policy and referring to a swathe of jungle where Tiger fighters are still entrenched after the fall of their eastern stronghold.

The Tigers were not immediately available for comment.

The clash came hours after the navy said it destroyed five Tamil Tiger vessels after coming under attack from two dozen rebel boats off the island's far northern tip yesterday. It estimated that it killed dozens of insurgents in that clash.

REUTERS AGL KN0952