13 rebels killed in northern Sri Lanka

By Xinhua

Colombo : At least 13 Tamil rebels were killed and 10 soldiers injured in separate clashes in northern Sri Lanka Thursday, the army said.


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Heavy fighting between the government troops and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels broke out when the rebels tried to storm the security lines twice at Periyathampant in northern Vavuniya district Thursday morning.

At least 13 rebels were killed and many of them injured in the clashes, the army officials said. Ten government soldiers also were injured.

Claiming discrimination at the hands of the Sinhala majority, the LTTE has been fighting the government since mid-1980s to establish a separate homeland for minority Tamils in the north and east of the island.

More than 5,000 people have been killed in the new wave of violence since the end of 2005, making the Norwegian brokered ceasefire agreement exist only on paper.

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