Tamil rebels and Sri Lankan troops waged one of their fiercest battles in years Wednesday, attacking each other with small arms and mortar fire along the front lines in a clash the military said killed 52 guerrillas and 38 soldiers, according to AP. The rebels said they killed more than 100 soldiers and lost only 16 of their own fighters in a 10-hour confrontation they characterized as a rout of the heavily armed government forces. As with most battles in the war-torn north, the two sides gave very different accounts. According to the military, the fighting broke out just before dawn when rebel forces overran the front lines in the rugged Muhamalai region of the Jaffna peninsula, north of rebel-held territory. Government forces fought back with small arms, mortar shells and tank fire, eventually repelling the assault and launching their own invasion over the front lines, capturing 500 meters (yards) of Tamil Tiger territory, said military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara.
