By Xinhua
Colombo : The military in Sri Lanka said on Tuesday government troops captured six Tamil Tiger rebels positions and killed 12 rebels in the north.
Officials from the Defense Ministry said the troops launched an attack against Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels’ area and captured five rebels’ positions at Munkilmurichchan in the Mannar district around 4 a.m. local time (2230 GMT).
Twelve rebels were believed killed and many wounded, officials said.
Three LTTE bodies were recovered during subsequent search operations conducted and one soldier was killed during the confrontation, officials said.
Also in Mannar, the troops captured an LTTE position at south of Karukkakulama area at around 6 a.m. (0030 GMT).
Government troops and the LTTE are currently engaged in fierce battles in the north after the Easter Province was recaptured by the government in July last year.
The LTTE has been fighting the troops since the mid-1980s to carve out a separate homeland for the Tamil minority in the north and east.