Agence France-Presse,
COLOMBO: Fierce fighting erupted in northern Sri Lanka Monday as government forces mounted a fresh push into territory held by Tiger rebels, with the official death toll from the new clashes at more than 50.
Security forces launched a pre-dawn assault against a defence line of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the northern Jaffna peninsula and smashed at least two dozen guerrilla bunkers, the defence ministry said.
Fifteen rebels were killed and more than 30 wounded, while the military suffered two soldiers dead and nine wounded, the ministry said.
“Troops launched a multi-pronged surprise assault at LTTE positions ahead of Nagarkovil defences (in the Jaffna peninsula)… forcing terrorists to flee with soaring casualties,” it said in a statement.
The Tigers countered that they had beat back the military offensive, forcing the security forces to retreat to their original positions.
In a statement published on the pro-rebel Puthinam.com website, the LTTE said they killed three government soldiers and wounded more than a dozen during a 45-minute battle, while they did not suffer any losses.
Elsewhere, the rebels lost 31 cadres in fighting across Vavuniya, Mannar and Weli Oya, all in the north, on Sunday, the defence ministry said.
The Tigers placed their losses in the Mannar area at three killed on Sunday and said they had inflicted heavy casualties on government forces.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the LTTE launched a separatist campaign in 1972 to carve out an independent homeland for minority Tamils in the island's north and east.
Sri Lanka formally ended a six-year peace truce with the rebels last week, accusing the guerrillas of using the Oslo-brokered pact to re-arm and strike military and civilian targets.
As fighting raged in the north, the rebels struck a police post in the deep south of the island on Monday, killing at least three constables, officials said.
The Tiger attack against the police post in the Thanamalvila area came as thousands of troops deployed there to prevent Tiger attacks against civilians after last week's bus bombing and shooting which left 37 people killed.
Since the start of this month, the Sri Lanka defence ministry has claimed it has killed 551 rebels against just 24 soldiers dead.
Army chief Sarath Fonseka said at the beginning of the year that the military planned to eliminate the estimated 3,000 cadres of the LTTE in the first six months of the year, or 500 rebels a month.
The military's claims cannot be independently checked as no journalists or rights groups have access to the embattled areas.
The fighting came after the military accused the Tigers of killing at least 10 civilians late Thursday in the relatively calm south. A roadside bomb last Wednesday killed 27 bus passengers.
At least 46 civilians have been killed in rebel attacks since the start of January, according to military statements.
