Fighting between Sri Lankan soldiers and separatist Tamil rebels left 27 guerrillas and two soldiers dead across the country''s
embattled north, the
military said Sunday.
Troops fought separate gunbattles with Tamil Tigers in Vavuniya district, just south of the rebels'' de facto state, killing11
insurgents, said military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara.
One soldier was also killed and three others were wounded, he said.
In the nearby Mannar district, soldiers killed 15 insurgents, said Nanayakkara, adding the battle also left one soldier dead and five others wounded. One more rebel died in a clash in Jaffna, he said.
No comment was immediately available from the rebels.