Fighting Kills 34 In Sri Lanka

Colombo, Sri Lanka (AHN) - At least 30 Tamil Tiger rebels and four security personnel were killed in fresh fighting in two days in the country's restive northern region, the military said on Friday.

Ground battles took place on Wednesday and Thursday across the country's northern region, the defense ministry said in a press statement.

Besides, Sri Lankan fighter planes, targeting a Tamil Tiger logistics base, conducted air raids over the northern region of Mullaittivu on Friday, air force confirmed.

It was not possible to independently verify the military's claims because media are banned from the northern jungles where much of the fighting takes place.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels have been battling for an independent homeland since 1972 in an ethnic conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.