Sri Lanka says 30 Tiger rebels killed in fighting

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COLOMBO, June 27 (AFP): Sri Lankan security forces killed at least 30 Tamil Tiger rebels in fresh ground battles, the defence ministry said Friday.

The rebels from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were killed in separate clashes on Thursday in the northern district of Vavuniya, the ministry said, adding that one soldier was wounded in a rebel mortar bomb attack.

It said the air force had also attacked suspected Tiger bases in the north.

The defence ministry claims raise the number of rebels reported killed by government troops since the beginning of the year to 4,501, against the loss of 414 soldiers.