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Colombo: Tamil Tiger rebels killed seven soldiers in a rare attack in southern Sri Lanka, firing on a small group of troops and planting a land mine that hit a unit sent to collect the casualties, the military said yesterday.
In a separate attack yesterday, air force planes pounded a rebel base in the north.
The rebel ambush took place on Monday night in southeastern Monaragala district, bordering the Yala wildlife park, a popular tourist destination, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.
Also on Monday, fierce fighting broke out in the north when rebels attacked government forces across the front lines in Mullikulam village, in Vavuniya district, the site of intense fighting in recent weeks.
Discrepancy
The military initially said 30 rebels had been killed in the attack, but revised that number to 20 yesterday. There was no explanation for the discrepancy.
Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan could not be reached for comment and the military's claims could not be independently verified. The two sides routinely exaggerate their enemy's casualties while playing down their own.
While fighting is common in northern Sri Lanka, where the Tamil Tigers control a de facto state, it rarely hits the peaceful south, home to many of the country's prime tourist destinations. The military provided few details of the battle near the wildlife park or how the Tigers managed to launch an attack so far from their territory.
Reinforcements sent to the site of the battle found six of their comrades killed and one injured, Nanayakkara said.
While they were transporting the bodies from the area yesterday morning, a land mine planted along the road exploded, killing a seventh soldier and wounding three others, he said.
No rebels were known to have been killed in the fighting, he said.
Air bombardment
In more fighting, air force fighter jets yesterday launched an airstrike on a logistics base in Mullaitivu district in the rebels' heartland, said air force spokesman Group Captain Ajantha Silva. He did not give details of the damage.
Fighting has intensified in recent weeks along the front lines separating government-controlled areas from the rebels' mini state in the north. At least 21 people were killed in weekend clashes in the region.
The rebels have been fighting for more than two decades for an independent state for the ethnic minority Tamils. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the fighting.
In July, the government announced it had forced the rebels out of the Eastern Province, taking control of the region for the first time in 13 years.
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