17 LTTE militants, 2 soldiers killed in Lanka clashes

It said the fierce fighting between the Tigers and the troops continued for a couple of hours.

The LTTE cadres using mortars and artillery rounds on the troops stormed the Navarkovil FDL but were resisted successfully by soldiers, the army said, adding a soldier died while seven others received injuries.

The army claimed it killed two LTTE rebels at Palekkuli in Mannar and five others in a confrontation at Kallikulam in the same district last evening. It said there was no damage to the troops.

At Welioya in northern Sri Lanka, Tigers fired small arms at an army post yesterday afternoon and killed a soldier.

According to Army spokesman Uday Nanayakkara, more than 120 Tiger cadres have been killed in last month alone.

Over 5,000 persons have been killed in clashes between Lankan army and the LTTE since the end of 2005 while talks to revive the stalled peace process failed last year.

More than 70,000 people have died and many displaced in the conflict since 1983.