Colombo: At least 44 Sri Lankan troops were killed and over 430 injured following fierce fighting with Tamil Tiger rebels in the far north, the military said.
A further 25 to 30 are missing following continuing fighting near the army-held northern Jaffna peninsula.
The Tigers said they had laid out the corpses of 61 troops on a playground in their stronghold of Kilinochchi, and invited the Red Cross to remove them.
The group said 10 of the fighters were killed, but the military estimates that more than 200 rebels were killed.
The Tigers say they have recovered the corpses of 75 troops from inside their territory after what they say was a military offensive. The security forces deny crossing into rebel territory, but have blocked truce monitors from inspecting the area.
Military spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe said, "The battle happened in no-man's land, between our forward defence lines and theirs". He added, “they don't have 75 bodies".
The fighting could hinder peace talks between the Tigers and the military which were due to take place in Geneva at the end of October.
