A roadside bomb blast and clashes between soldiers and secessionist Tamil Tiger guerrillas across Sri Lanka's volatile north killed 29 people, the military said Saturday. A bus with soldiers was hit by a bomb planted by the rebels Friday night in the northern Jaffna peninsula, killing two soldiers and wounding seven others, an official at the Defense Ministry's information center said. Hours earlier, six Tamil Tigers and three soldiers were killed in a clash in the Vavuniya district south of Jaffna, and eight guerrillas were killed in two separate battles reported there, the official said on condition of anonymity, citing government policy. Also Friday, the military reported that it killed 10 guerrillas who tried to attack a defense line in Muhamalai, in Jaffna district. Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan could not immediately be reached for comment.
