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Colombo: Two government soldiers and 31 Tamil Tiger rebels were killed in the latest fighting in Sri Lanka, the military said on Sunday.
In the worst clash on Saturday, 18 rebels and a soldier were killed in Mannar district, a military official said. Seven rebels and a soldier were killed in Vavuniya while six guerrillas died in Welioya, he said.
Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan could not immediately be reached for comment, and it was not possible to verify the military's claims because reporters are barred from the war zone.
The government has intensified its campaign against the rebels' de facto state in the north after promising to crush them by the end of this year. However, army commander Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka recently said it might take another year to significantly weaken the rebels.
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