Soldiers destroy two rebel bunkers in Jaffna

Colombo: Soldiers destroyed two Tamil Tiger rebel bunkers in northern Sri Lanka while fighting in the region killed 11 separatists and wounded eight soldiers, the military said on Saturday.

Fighting between the two sides has sharply increased in recent weeks, with the government vowing to retake Tamil Tiger-controlled territory and crush the rebels after more than two decades of warfare. Diplomats and other observers say the army is facing more resistance than it had expected.

Troops destroyed two rebel bunkers in the village of Kilali on the northern Jaffna peninsula on Friday night, a defence ministry official said.

Two soldiers were wounded in the fighting, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity citing government regulations.