By Xinhua
Colombo : At least eight Tamil Tiger rebels have been killed and 12 others injured as government troops launched an attack on their positions in northern Sri Lanka, the army said Sunday.
According to a military statement, the government troops Saturday attacked the positions of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels near Uyilankulam in the northern district of Mannar.
The Army destroyed seven rebel bunkers in the battle besides killing eight rebels and injuring 12 others, the statement said.
One government soldier was also killed, while six others were injured in the fighting, the statement added.
Clashes between the two sides began to focus in the north after the military claimed in mid-July that the rebels had been totally cleared from the eastern province.
More than 5,000 people have been killed in the new wave of violence since the end of 2005.