Nearly 100 rebels killed in fresh Sri Lanka fighting

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Nearly 100 rebels killed in fresh Sri Lanka fighting

COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lankan troops have beaten back a fresh attempt by Tamil Tigers to overrun the main defences of the northern peninsula of Jaffna and killed at least 98 guerrillas, media minister Anura Yapa has said.

More than 100 rebels were wounded in the close-quarter fighting in the early hours of the morning, the minister told reporters here Thursday.

The attack on the northern peninsula, where hundreds have died in a week of fierce fighting, came a day after President Mahinda Rajapakse said the door was still open for peace talks with rebels fighting for autonomy for the nation's Tamil minority.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060817/wl_asia_afp/srilankaunrest