Fierce trench warfare and a series of ambushes in northern Sri Lanka killed 31 rebels and three soldiers, AP quoted the military as saying Thursday. The battles _ part of an escalation in the fighting between the Tamil Tiger rebels and government troops in recent months _ erupted in the Vavuniya, Mannar and Welioya areas throughout the day Wednesday. In one particularly deadly fight in Vavuniya, troops captured a rebel bunker and killed eight guerrilla fighters after nine hours of clashes, the military said in a statement. Others battles and ambushes along the civil war's front lines in the north killed 23 Tamil Tiger fighters and three soldiers, the military said.
