At least one soldier and "many" Tamil Tiger rebels were killed Saturday in heavy fighting between the two sides in northern Sri Lanka, the defence ministry said.
A dozen soldiers were also wounded as the military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) traded heavy artillery fire across a defence line in Vavuniya district, the ministry said.
"It is confirmed that many LTTE terrorists were killed," the ministry said in a statement. There was no immediate comment from the Tigers.
The clash Saturday at Thampanai came three days after security forces wrested control over the final rebel base in the east of the island.
The LTTE admitted Thursday losing Thoppigala in the district of Batticaloa, but said it would now would revert to guerrilla tactics in the troubled region.
Fighting across Sri Lanka has worsened since the breakdown of a 2002 truce around 19 months ago.
Sri Lanka's 35-year-old conflict has claimed more than 60,000 lives, and over 5,200 people have been killed in fighting in the past 19 months, according to government figures.
The rebels are fighting for an independent homeland for the Tamil minority on the Sinhalese-majority island.
(http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/srilankaunrest&printer=1;
_ylt=AoD_HTFQPGmG0HHewcSEhKDuOrgF)
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