Colombo: At least 23 LTTE rebels have been killed and eight soldiers injured in a series of clashes with the security forces in the Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka.

Army troops and LTTE cadres exchanged fire in an area south of Adampan in North-western Mannar district this morning in which five Tiger rebels were killed, the Army said here today.

Hours later, soldiers confronted a group of LTTE militants at Giant Tank area in Mannar district, killing three rebels in the retaliatory attack, the defence ministry said.

Two more LTTE militants were killed when they tried to attack the security forces at Palathoppur in Eastern Trincomalee this morning.

Tiger militants taking cover behind some trees and bushes suddenly opened small arms fire on a team of soldiers who were on a foot patrol in Eastern Trincomalee, but the troops swung into action and killed two rebels and recovered one T-56 and T-81 weapon with a filled magazine, the ministry said.

Separately, a rebel bunker line in Muhamale in Jaffna peninsula was attacked by the troops early today where one soldier sustained injuries.

In another incident, seven rebels died when the army launched an artillery attack at identified LTTE targets in Vilathikulam in Mannar yesterday.

LTTE communication intercepts confirmed that seven rebels were killed and five injured in the attack, the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) said.

Source : PTI