By Xinhua
Colombo : At least 12 Tamil Tiger rebels and two government soldiers were killed Friday when the army mounted an offensive in the north, Sri Lankan military said.
Five soldiers were wounded in the fighting as the troops captured the south of Adampan Tank in Mannar district from Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels Friday morning.
In a separate incident, two civilians and a woman home guard were wounded when a hospital came under LTTE mortar attack at Sampathnuwara in Welioya area in the northeast.
Military operations are underway in the north, with the government determined to defeat the LTTE before the end of this year.
The military said more than 700 people have been killed in the conflict since the beginning of this year.
The LTTE has been fighting for a separate homeland for minority Tamils in the north and east for more than two decades.