Heavy fighting kills 10 soldiers in Sri Lanka

Colombo, July 15: At least 10 Sri Lankan soldiers were killed and several others wounded when heavy fighting broke out between the government troops and the Tamil Tiger rebels in the northern Vavuniya district today, military here said.

''Heavy fighting erupted in the Wanni front as the LTTE terrorists fired heavy mortars at Sri Lankan army soldiers at Priyathampanai on the Vavuniya- Mannar road early this morning,'' Defence Ministry said here tonight.

''Ten soldiers were killed and 34 others suffered injuries in the incident. The security forces were compelled to retaliate and destroyed some of the terror mortar locations completely. It is believed that the retaliatory attacks have caused heave casualties to the LTTE,'' the Defence Ministry said.

Claiming that the fresh clashes had continued from dawn to dusk, it said that the rebels have lunched this ''cowardly attack abusing the no-war-zone agreed by the security forces for the Madhu church area.'' Sri Lankan troops used war jets and long-range artillery weapons to attack suspected Tamil Tiger positions as fresh fighting broke out early today with the fighter jets pounding suspected LTTE locations to back the ground offensive.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Tigers have claimed that at least 16 Sri Lankan soldiers were killed when they put up heavy resistance against a two-pronged military assault today.

''More than 16 Sri Lanka army troops were killed and around 45 others were injured in the clashes,'' the pro-rebel websites have quoted LTTE officials as saying.

The Tigers have said they too have lost three rebels in the fighting.

Fresh fighting broke out in the north three days after security forces wrested control over Thoppigala area, the final rebel base in the Eastern Batticaloa district.

UNI