Sri Lankan security forces killed at least 44 Tamil Tiger rebels for the loss of two of their own soldiers in fresh ground battles in the island's embattled north, the defence ministry said Saturday. In the latest fighting, army troops took control of Parappakadattan village in Mannar district on Saturday, said military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara. He said guerrillas had almost vacated the area when army troops advanced into the village, where rebels had maintained a training base and office complex. The rebels from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were killed in separate clashes on Friday in the northern district of Vavuniya and Mannar, the ministry said, adding that at least 30 rebels were also wounded. The ministry said 25 bodies of Tiger fighters killed in previous fighting was returned to the rebels on Friday through the Red Cross. “Advancing army battle formations have inflicted decisive blows on the LTTE during multi-pronged attacks,” the ministry said. There was no immediate word from the Tigers on the latest fighting. The defense ministry claims raise the number of rebels reported killed by government troops since the beginning of the year to 4,545, against the loss of 416 soldiers.
