12 Tamil Rebels Killed in Attack Against S.Lankan TroopsA total of 12 separatist Tamil Tiger rebels were confirmed killed when they launched a retaliatory attack against government troops in eastern Sri Lanka on Tuesday, bringing the number of those killed to 21, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday.According to interceptions of Tamil rebel radio transmission, 12 rebels were killed and at least another four were seriously wounded in the heavy fighting at a Muslim village in Batticaloa district. Two civilians also died in rebel mortar bomb attacks, the ministry said. The number of government soldiers killed in Tuesday's exchange of fire with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels rose to seven after another soldier succumbed to his injuries, it said. Ten soldiers and 15 civilians including five women were also wounded in the fighting. The latest fighting between the two sides erupted a day after the country's Special Task Force commandos destroyed a rebel base in the same area, killing 16 rebels. The LTTE rebels have been fighting against government forces in the north and east of the country since 1983 for an independent Tamil homeland. The bloody war has killed more than 60,000 people. |
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