'Heavy losses' in S Lanka clashes

At least 52 Tamil Tiger rebels and 15 soldiers have been killed in clashes in the Jaffna peninsula in northern Sri Lanka, the country's military says. More than 70 soldiers were wounded in the heavy fighting, which broke out along the front line in the Muhamalai area at 0200 (2030 GMT), it added. There has been no independent confirmation of the casualty figures. Fighting in Sri Lanka has intensified since January, when the government pulled out of a formal ceasefire deal. The government said the rebels had used the truce signed in 2002 to rearm and regroup. It has said it aims to crush them by the end of this year. At least 70,000 people have died since the civil war began in 1983. 'Front line crossed' Two divisions from the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) took part in the offensive on Wednesday morning, military spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara told the BBC. They attempted to get near our positions - that's when the clashes erupted Rasiah Ilanthiraiyan Tamil Tiger military spokesman Soldiers crossed the front line dividing territory held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from government-controlled areas in the peninsula after the rebel group attacked army positions, he added. Brig Nanayakkara said the troops were able to advance about 500m (1650ft) along an 8km (five mile) wide front, overrunning the rebel's first line of defence. They were now attempting to protect the territorial gains, he added. The Tigers, who have fought for a generation for an independent state for the Tamil minority, have not released any casualty figures. The group's military spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiraiyan, accused the army of sparking the battle. "They attempted to get near our positions. That's when the clashes erupted," he told the Associated Press. The pro-rebel TamilNet website quoted the group's Northern Forces Operations Command as saying the army had been "forced to retreat, leaving behind dead bodies of their troopers" after the battle ended at 1230. "Special commando units of the Tigers were also engaged to confront the SLA units that attempted to advance using Main Battle Tanks amid heavy Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL), artillery and mortar fire," the website reported. On Tuesday, the Tigers said they had destroyed a tank during battles with the army in the same area. The military said 10 rebels and one soldier had died in the clashes. Correspondents say both sides frequently exaggerate enemy losses and play down their own. Story from BBC NEWS: