COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Fifty-nine Tamil Tiger insurgents and one Sri Lankan soldier have been killed in a new outbreak of violence in Sri Lanka, military officials said.
However, the Tamil Tigers disputed the death toll and said the Sri Lankan government was giving out false information in an effort to retain support of southern Sinhalese, the BBC said.
Fighting has increased in Sri Lanka since the government announced this month it would back away from a truce with the Tamil Tigers -- agreed upon in 2002 and set to take effect Jan.16.
The Tigers have been waging a 20-year campaign for independence for the state of Tamil.
A Tamil Tiger official claimed recent fighting left a large number of Sri Lankan troops dead, and said if the government report had been true, no Tamils would have survived the fighting, the BBC said.
Sri Lankan Army Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka said his goal is to eliminate the rebels before he leaves his position at the end of this year.
