By Prensa Latina,
Colombo : At least 73 Tamil rebels died in combat with government troops in the last three days in several regions of northern Sri Lanka, the Defense Ministry reported Tuesday.
According to the source, seven members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) died in the last 24 hours in clashes with the army in the districts of Jaffna, Mannar and Welioya.
In that fighting two soldiers died and 20 others were wounded.
The military press release said that 66 rebels died in battles on April 12 and 13 in the area of Mannar.
The LTTE have been fighting since July 1983 to achieve an independent State in the northern and eastern regions of the country where Tamils are majority against the predominantly Singhalese population in the rest of the Indian Ocean island.
Over 75,000 people, among them civilians, military and rebels have died in those 25 years of bloody clashes.