Fighting between army troops and Tamil rebels left more than 21 dead and more than 80 injured, including civilians, in the north and eastern parts of Sri Lanka, military officials said Wednesday. Fierce fighting broke out when rebels fired artillery and mortars at five military camps in Batticaloa district, 240 kilometres north-east of Colombo, just before dawn Wednesday, prompting security forces to retaliate, dpa reported. Eight rebel bodies were recovered, but the military claims that as many as 30 rebels were injured and the casualty figure was likely to increase. At least four soldiers were also killed and 14 were injured in the battle. Over 40 civilians also have been injured due to the shelling as some of the mortars and artillery fell on civilian-populated areas, military officials in the area said.
