Sri Lanka's military says troops have killed at least 28 Tamil rebels in the country's embattled north.
The military said Wednesday that the rebels died in clashes Tuesday in the districts of Jaffna, Vavuniya and Mannar.
The military said one soldier was killed and at least four others were wounded in the fighting.
The rebels have not commented on the report, but their Web site says 60 soldiers were killed Sunday and Monday in Mannar.
Sri Lanka's northern territory is one of the front lines in the civil war between the Tamil rebels and government forces. The military is moving to capture areas in Mannar to gradually retake the rebels' northern stronghold.
The rebels have been fighting since 1983 for an independent state in the north and east. They say the majority Sinhalese government and community discriminate against their ethnic Tamil minority. At least 70,000 people have died in the conflict.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
