33 LTTE fighters among 35 killed in Lanka: Army

At least 33 cadres of the separatist LTTE and two soldiers were killed in fierce clashes in the embattled northern Sri Lanka as fighter jets targeted a rebel stronghold in the island nation, the army said on Saturday.

"Sri Lankan Air Force Jet aircraft this morning targeted a militant camp at north-east of Oddusuddan area in northern Sri Lanka," the Defence Ministry said, adding pilots confirmed the target was engaged successfully.

In ground clashes, at least five militants of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were killed in Janakapura area in north-eastern Welioya on Friday, the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) said.

Separately at Adankulam in Welioya, troops killed four militants in a clash on Friday, it said, adding one soldier also lost his life in the confrontation.

In another clash in the same area later in the day on Friday, troops killed four more militants, the army said in a statement.

Meanwhile, one Tamil Tiger rebel was gunned down in a clash at Muhamale in Jaffna peninsula on Saturday, the defence ministry said.

Troops killed one LTTE fighter in Mullikulam in Mannar on Friday, the army said, adding it lost one security forces personnel.

In intense clashes in Kallikulam in Northern Vavuniya, troops said they killed seven militants and injured three on Friday, according to the defence ministry.

Source: Times of India