185 combatants killed in Sri Lanka in 6 days
Ap, Colombo
A battle raging in northern Sri Lanka between government troops and Tamil rebels has killed 185 combatants over the past six days, government officials said yesterday.Army soldiers and Tamil Tiger rebels have traded artillery fire across their front lines at Muhamalai on Jaffna Peninsula since Thursday in battles that killed 35 soldiers, an official at the Media Centre for National Security said, speaking on condition of anonymity, citing agency policy. The fighting also has killed 150 rebels, the Defense Ministry said on its Web site. However, the rebels disputed this toll. Tamil Tiger official Seevanatnam Puleedevan said only 12 of the group's fighters had been killed. Both sides are known to exaggerate each other's death tolls, and it is virtually impossible to independently verify the information.
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