More 36 Tigers killed in fresh fighting

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COLOMBO, Jul 5 (AFP): Sri Lankan troops shot dead another 35 Tamil Tiger rebels and lost one of their own soldiers in fresh fighting in the island's north, the defence ministry said today.

Troops killed the 35 members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and wounded an equal number in the districts of Vavuniya, Mannar, Mullaitivu and Jaffna Friday, the ministry said. It said one government soldier was killed and four wounded. There was no immediate word from the LTTE on the latest violence.

The defence ministry's claim takes the number of rebels reported killed by government troops since the beginning of the year to 4,736 against the loss of 425 soldiers.

Government figures cannot be independently verified as journalists are barred from visiting frontline areas.

Sri Lanka has been wracked by civil war for more than three decades. The rebels are fighting for an independent homeland for minority Tamils on the Sinhalese-majority island.