By DPA
Colombo : At least 45 Tamil rebels and 10 government soldiers were killed in heavy fighting in the northern Sri Lanka, military officials said
Most of the combat was reported in the northwestern Mannar district, but fighting was also heard in Vavuniya and Welioya areas, northeast of the capital. All areas of fighting are more than 300 km away from the capital.
In a clash at Andankulam of Mannar, 10 soldiers were killed and 21 injured while 13 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels were also killed, the military said.
The military said that a total of 45 rebels were killed since Monday morning in several areas of combat.
The government has stepped up military operations in the north after vowing to crush the rebels by the end of the year.
Guerrillas also have carried out bomb attacks on civilian targets in at least four different locations in the south as well as the northeast. They targeted three public transport buses and a railway station killing over 70 civilians and injuring over 150.
The government Jan 16 formally withdrew from a Norwegian-brokered ceasefire with the rebels.