A series of battles between government forces and Tamil separatists across the embattled northern region killed 35 rebels while a blast blamed on rebels killed two civilians, the military said Wednesday. The latest infantry clashes continued throughout Tuesday along the front lines in the regions of Mannar, Welioya and Vavuniya bordering the rebels' de facto state in the north, a Defense Ministry official said. In the worst fighting, soldiers killed 25 rebels in five separate battles in Mannar, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity due to government regulation. Clashes also wounded 20 rebels and 11 soldiers, he said. In the nearby Vavuniya district, soldiers killed six rebels in a confrontation while fighting in Welioya killed four rebels and wounded four soldiers. Separately, a roadside bomb explosion blamed on Tamil rebels wounded three civilians in Vavuniya Tuesday evening and two of them died at the hospital, said the official. Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan could not be reached for comment. It was not possible to independently verify the military's claims because the media are banned from the northern jungles where much of the fighting takes place. Both sides commonly exaggerate their enemy's casualties while underplaying their own.
