Colombo, Nov 11 (DPA) At least 13 Tamil rebels and one soldier were killed in gun battles between the LTTE and Sri Lankan forces in northern Sri Lanka over the weekend, military officials said Sunday.
A military spokesman in Colombo said that the rebels were killed in four separate incidents in the Mannar district, 320 k.m. north of the capital on Saturday.
Nine rebels were killed in a clash in Cheddikulam when troops spotted a group of rebels moving into a military-controlled area, while others were killed in similar incidents. One soldier was killed in combat with rebels in Thampanai, the spokesman stated.
The military mounted a search operation in a wildlife park in south-eastern Sri Lanka after rebels set off a claymore mine that killed a civilian worker and injured another Saturday evening.
Another military spokesman confirmed that a vehicle carrying the civilian workers was caught in the blast at Katagamuwa, 380 k.m. south-east of the capital.
At least five civilians and seven soldiers have been killed during the past month in suspected rebel attacks around the wildlife park area, raising fresh security concerns.
The park is a popular tourist destination and the recent incidents could have an impact on the number of local and foreign visitors.
The fighting in northern and eastern parts of the country has claimed more than 5,500 lives in the last two years.