Sri Lanka says 32 Tamil rebels slain

• Tweet

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, March 7 (UPI) -- At least 32 Tamil rebels have been killed in heavy fighting in northeastern Sri Lanka, military officials said Saturday.

Dozens of members of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were also wounded in the clashes Friday in the Mullaittivu coastal area where government troops have cornered the rebel forces, The Daily Telegraph reported.

"The LTTE end game is reaching its final phase," the Defense Ministry said in a statement to reporters, adding that the Tamil Tigers allegedly killed three civilians and seriously injured another as a group of residents who tried to flee rebel areas in six boats.

The Sri Lankan military has said it is hoping to end the Tigers' 36-year insurgency completely by April, the Telegraph said.