April 12, 2007	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 23, 1428

COLOMBO, April 11: Sri Lanka’s military men killed at least 20 Tamil Tiger rebels after a mortar attack in the north that killed one soldier, and later seized a road in the east that was rebel-held for 13 years, the military said on Wednesday.

The Tigers denied any losses in the battle which took place in Vavuniya district on Tuesday, and instead said they had killed 10 government soldiers in a separate clash overnight in the same region. The fighting extended a rash of near daily battles between the government and the rebels.

“There was mortar fire to the forward defence line in the north, which killed one soldier and wounded four,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Upali Rajapakse, a spokesman for the media centre for national security.

“We have retaliated and their communications prove at least 20 killed.”

Tamil Tiger military spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiraiyan denied any casualties and said the Tigers had killed some 10 soldiers in a small attack in the restive Vavuniya district.

“It must be within 10 and I’m not sure, but it’s not more than 10,” Ilanthiraiyan said, referring to the number of government soldiers’ bodies found.

—Reuters