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Troops kill 13 Tamil rebels in clashes |
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April 17, 2000
COLOMBO, APR 16 (AP) - Government troops shot dead 13 Tamil rebels during clashes in the north, the Defense Ministry said Sunday.
The soldiers killed 12 guerrillas Saturday in Kovilkadu in the northern Jaffna peninsula, the ministry said in a statement. Jaffna is 300 kilometers (185 miles) north of the capital, Colombo.
It said that another rebel was gunned down by troops in nearby Kattiaratan. A soldier was also wounded Saturday when he stepped on a land mine during a search and clear operation in Kulairetum in the Jaffna Peninsula.
There was no independent confirmation of the military's claims as journalists are not allowed into he war zone.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are fighting for an independent homeland for minority Tamils in the north and east of the country. More than 61,000 people have been killed since the war began in 1983.
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