August 12, 2008	Tuesday	Sha'aban 9, 1429

COLOMBO, Aug 11: Sri Lankan troops killed 115 Tamil Tiger rebels in weekend fighting in the far north of the island, the military said on Monday, as government forces continued their push into the rebels’ northern stronghold.

Government jets also bombed rebel positions in rebel-held areas in the north, military officials said.

“Troops had killed 60 LTTE terrorists and 28 were wounded from Sunday’s confrontations,” said military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, adding that three soldiers were also killed and 12 wounded in the fighting.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were not immediately available for comment on rebel casualties from the fighting but said air raids had killed two civilians, including a school teacher.

“The death, injuries and loss due to this attack, typical when Sri Lanka Air Force bombs a heavily populated area in Vanni, have been repeated more than one hundred times over the Vanni area over a period of two years,” said Selvy Navaruban, rebel spokeswoman on humanitarian issues and human rights, in a statement emailed to Reuters.