10 Tamil rebels shot dead

---

COLOMBO, Nov 19 (AFP): Sri Lankan security forces killed at least 10 Tamil Tiger rebels, the defence ministry said Monday.
Troops shot dead the 10 members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in separate clashes in the north of the island during the 24 hours ending Monday morning, the ministry said in a statement.
It did not say if security forces suffered casualties in the fighting. There was no immediate comment from the rebels.
Sri Lanka has raised its defence spending by 20 percent to 166.44 billion rupees (1.51 billion dollars) for 2008, mainly to deal with Tamil Tigers who have been fighting for independence since 1972.