250 Lankan rebels killed over weekend

COLOMBO (AFP) - The Sri Lankan military said Monday its troops had killed at least 250 Tamil Tigers during a weekend of fierce fighting around the rebels’ shrinking fiefdom in the northeast of the island.Army spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said the Tigers, boxed into an area of less than 50 square kilometres (19 square miles), had launched a series of counter-attacks against advancing troops in the district of Mullaittivu.The military said it had killed 100 rebels in clashes on Friday and Saturday. On Monday it said it found another 80 bodies from Sunday’s fighting.But Nanayakkara said at least 150 Tigers had been killed, calling it the bloodiest day for the guerrillas in the latest military campaign aimed at completely defeating them.“We have killed over 150 Tigers on Sunday and that is the biggest loss for them in a single battle,” Nanayakkara said adding that troops used special forces, artillery guns and aircraft to pound rebel strong points.“Security forces also lost a few soldiers... and a few (were) wounded,” he said, without giving precise figures for government casualties. He added that a large haul of guns and ammunition were found.The Sri Lankan government bars most journalists and aid workers from the north of the island, meaning the claims cannot be verified.