Sri Lanka says 67 killed in northern fighting

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Sri Lankan troops launched a major attack Monday against Tamil rebel fortifications, sparking clashes that killed 57 insurgents and 10 soldiers, the military said. The Tamil Tigers said more than 100 soldiers were killed. Government forces have seized a large area of rebel-held territory in recent months and backed the Tigers into small areas in the lush jungles of the island nation's northeast. However, troops have been locked in heavy battles at the edge of Kilinochchi - the rebel administrative capital - for nearly two months amid heavy rains and stiff fighting. The government claimed last month the fall of Kilinochchi was "imminent." The conflict has killed more than 70,000 people.