COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Government soldiers and Tamil separatists fought a series of gun battles in Sri Lanka’s embattled north, leaving 59 insurgents and one soldier dead, the military said Saturday.
Troops clashed with Tamil Tiger guerrillas on several fronts Friday in Vavuniya district, just south of the rebels’ de facto state, killing 39 insurgents, a defense ministry official said.
Fighting in Vavuniya also left one soldier dead and 21 wounded, the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Separate fighting in nearby Mannar district killed 17 insurgents, while three more rebels died in clashes on the Jaffna peninsula, he said.
Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan could not immediately be reached for comment.
