COLOMBO, Dec 11: Separatist Tamil rebels fought intense battles against government forces trying to advance on the militants’ de facto capital in northern Sri Lanka, killing at least 89 soldiers, a rebel-affiliated website said on Thursday.

The military disputed the death toll, saying pitched battles in the north over the past two days had left 20 soldiers and 27 rebels dead.

The TamilNet website reported that heavy fighting took place on Wednesday around the rebel headquarters of Kilinochchi between guerillas and government troops trying to advance into rebel-held territory.

In the worst fighting, rebels repulsed advances by soldiers on the villages of Oottuppulam and Puthumurippu, west of Kilinochchi, killing more than 60 soldiers, the website reported, citing unidentified rebel officials.

Separately, heavy clashes to the south of Kilinochchi killed an additional 29 soldiers, the report said.

The website said the bodies of a dozen soldiers were recovered from the villages west of Kilinochchi along with a dozen assault rifles and ammunition.

Rebel officials did not release their casualty details, the Web site said.

Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara dismissed the TamilNet account, saying it was an attempt to gain publicity.

Separately, the Defence Ministry said in a statement that soldiers fought pitched battles along the southern and western borders of Kilinochchi on Wednesday, killing 27 rebels and 20 soldiers.

Nanayakkara said troops on Wednesday seized Therumurukandi junction, a strategically important crossroad on the main highway in the north.

On Thursday, fighter jets and helicopter gunships bombed a series of rebel positions, including an underground bunker complex in Kilinochchi, said air force spokesman Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara.

Damage and casualty details were not available, he said, adding that the air raids were launched to support ground troops advancing into the rebel heartland.

Rebel officials could not be contacted for comment because communication lines to rebel-held territory have been severed.

With reporters banned from the war zone, the media must depend on government and rebel statements for most information about the war. Each side commonly exaggerates its enemy’s casualties and plays down its own.

Fighting has escalated in recent months as government troops have moved deep into rebel territory.—AP