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 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 Wednesday around the rebel headquarters of Kilinochchi between guerrillas 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 Web site 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 website said. Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara dismissed the TamilNet account, saying it was an attempt to gain publicity. Separately, the Defense 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. Troops on Wednesday seized Therumurukandi junction, a strategically important crossroad on the main highway in the north.
