UPI en Español  |   UPI Asia  |   About UPI  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Sri Lanka says 28 rebels killed

|
 
Published: Dec. 24, 2007 at 11:10 AM

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- Sri Lanka on Monday claimed its security forces had killed 28 Tamil Tiger rebels in clashes in the troubled northern region of the island nation.

The Defense Ministry said four of its soldiers were injured in mine explosions in Thampanai and Kuduruvitankulama areas of the north during operations Sunday.

In the most serious of the latest clashes with the Tamil Tigers, the ministry said eight rebels were killed in Mannar, Press Trust of India reported.

The Tamil Tigers have been fighting for years for a separate homeland for the Tamil-speaking minority in the predominantly Buddhist country. Violence has surged in recent months in the country, resulting in the deaths of dozens of people.

Last week, the Defense Ministry claimed its soldiers killed 16 rebels.

A government-owned publication also claimed the Tigers' elusive leader Velupillai Prabhakaran suffered injuries in an air raid last month and that his supporters were trying to smuggle him out of the country for treatment. The Tamil Tigers denied the report.

Topics: Tamil Tigers
© 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
'Star Trek Into Darkness' screening NBC upfronts Met Ball 2013
'Great Gatsby' premieres in New York Spire raised on top of One WTC 2013: Celebrity break ups and divorces
Additional Top News Stories
1 of 15
Iranians celebrate the qualification of  their soccer team  for 2014 World Cup
View Caption
Iranian women flash the victory sign during a street celebration in Tehran, Iran on June 18, 2013. The Iranian national soccer team defeated South Korea in their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying soccer match in Ulsan, South Korea. UPI/Maryam Rahmanian .
fark
150 Years of Misunderstanding the Civil War
Study suggests children given antibiotics before their first birthday could be at a much greater...
How a used bottle becomes a new bottle in 6 animated gifs
Old and busted: SARS. New inflammatory hotness: MERS
Ten national parks you didn't know existed, but you do now. (Slideshow alert)
To appeal to foodie wannabes, fast food chains and industrial food suppliers are engineering new...