By Xinhua
Colombo : Over 20 people including rebels and civilians have been killed during the last 24 hours in Sri Lanka’s north and east due to violence in the island’s separatist armed conflict, defence officials said Wednesday.
Officials said some 10 members of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were killed in the north-western Mannar district forward defence line separating the government and rebel held territory.
In separate attacks, three LTTE members were killed at Welioya and five more rebels were killed at Thoppigala in Eastern Province.
All the rebel cadres were killed when troops retaliated rebel attacks against government troops, officials said.
A paramilitary home guard was killed at Eravur in Eastern Province Wednesday morning in a shootout with rebels. Two civilians were also killed in the east by unidentified assailants.
In the Meerakerni area in Eravur the body of a person who had gone missing since April 14 was discovered while two civilians were shot dead in the northern district of Vavuniya Tuesday night.
More than 4,000 people have been killed in the escalation of violence in the island’s armed conflict since December 2005.
The upsurge in violence has jeopardized the Norwegian-backed process of direct negotiations between the government and the LTTE.
LTTE has been fighting for independence for the island’s minority 2.5 million Tamil community.