COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Sri Lankan troops overran a key Tamil Tiger rebel base in the island's embattled north and fought for hours in surrounding villages, killing at least 51 insurgents, the military said.
The fighting began at dawn Wednesday when soldiers backed by artillery and mortar fire advanced into Tamil Tiger territory and attacked rebel positions in two villages in Mannar district, killing 11 rebels, a Defense Ministry official said on condition of anonymity because of government restrictions.
Fighting spread to adjoining villages, and by evening the soldiers had seized the rebels'18 Base" and killed at least another 40 guerrillas, the official said.
Air force fighter planes supported the ground troops by bombing two rebel gun positions, a military statement said. It said six soldiers were wounded in the clashes.
Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan was not immediately available for comment on the military's claims.
However, a pro-rebel Web site reported that seven soldiers were killed in the fighting. The Web site did not mention the base that the military claimed to have seized or any rebel casualties.
It was not possible to verify the details independently because the war zone is restricted to reporters.
Both sides commonly exaggerate their enemy's casualties while underreporting their own.
Fighting has escalated along the northern front lines after the government withdrew from a long-ignored cease-fire in January.
The rebels have fought since 1983 to create an independent homeland for minority ethnic Tamils, who have been marginalized by successive governments controlled by Sri Lanka's Sinhalese majority. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the violence.
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