Heavy Fighting Kills 105 In Sri Lanka

Colombo, Sri Lanka (AHN) - Heavy fighting between the government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels in the country's north over the weekend killed at least 100 rebels and five soldiers, the military said on Monday.

Clashes on Saturday and Sunday in the districts of Mannar, Vavuniya and Weli Oya left at least 100 rebels belonging to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and five soldiers dead, according to the defense ministry. The ministry also said security forces kept up a major offensive against the Tigers and had taken more of the guerrillas' bunker lines.

The Tigers had killed 55 government troops and wounded another 120 in Saturday's fighting alone, the AFP reported quoting the pro-rebel Puthinam.com website. The website did not give rebel casualties.

The rebels have been battling for an independent homeland since 1972 in an ethnic conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.