Colombo:Fierce fighting between government troops and separatist Tamil Tigers across Sri Lanka s embattled north killed 36 rebels and five soldiers, the military said today.

The latest violence occurred yesterday along the front lines separating government-controlled territory and the rebels de facto state in the north, said military spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara.

Army troops and the air force launched a joint offensive on rebel bunkers in Kilinochchi district, triggering a furious battle that killed 18 rebels and four soldiers, he said. The same fighting wounded 31 soldiers.

Scattered battles in Vavuniya killed 12 rebels and one soldier, while in Welioya region six rebels died, Nanayakkara said.

Separately today, 122 trainee soldiers were hospitalised due to food poisoning in the eastern Ampara district, Nanayakkara said.

Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan could not be reached for comment today.

Both sides routinely exaggerate enemy casualties and underreport their own. Independent verification of the fighting is not possible because most journalists are barred from the war zone.

The latest infantry clashes came a day after Tamil Tigers launched a brazen airstrike on a major naval base in the island s embattled east, wounding 10 sailors.

Fighting has escalated in recent months on this war-torn Indian Ocean island, with the military capturing a series of rebel bases and large chunks of territory, and officials reiterating a pledge to crush the guerrillas by the end of the year.
Source : PTI