Fresh clashes in Sri Lanka kill many

Colombo: Thirty fourTamil Tiger rebels were killed in fresh fighting in Sri Lanka's restive far north, along with nine solders, the military said on Monday.

The fighting came days after the military said it had entered a rebel stronghold in the north.

"From the Sunday fighting troops had killed 34 LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) terrorists and injured 33 others," said a spokesman at the Media Centre for National Security.

"Nine soldiers had also died and 15 (were) injured from the fighting."

The Tigers were not immediately available for comment.

On Sunday, leaders in the region signed a cooperation pact in Colombo aimed at combatting terrorism, concluding the 15th summit of the South Asian Association of Regional Corporation (SAARC).

SAARC groups Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. Some 19,000 extra police and soldiers were deployed in the capital for the meeting