By IANS,
Colombo : Sri Lankan fighter jets and helicopter gunships Monday targeted suspected Tamil Tiger bases as advancing troops killed at least 32 guerrillas in the war-torn north, the authorities said Monday.
The government said that the air force bombed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) positions at Nachchikuda in the rebel-held Kilinochchi district.
The Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) said that security forces also killed at least 32 Tamil Tigers while losing five troopers during sporadic gun battles Sunday in northern Wanni region.
It said at least 59 rebels and 22 soldiers were also wounded Sunday in the fighting in Weli-Oya, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi and Jaffna areas.
The troops captured a rebel bunker-line at Palamoddai in Vavuniya after six hours of battles, killing 10 guerrillas and wounding 15, the MCNS said. The troops also recovered bodies of five rebels along with their assault riffles.
In separate clashes in Kilinochchi district, three soldiers were killed and 16 wounded Sunday, it said.
Separately, gunmen shot dead two youths travelling on a motorcycle in Jaffna peninsula Sunday, the ministry said, blaming the LTTE pistol gang for the killings.