Renewed fighting between army and rebels kills many in Sri Lanka

Colombo: Renewed fighting between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels along Sri Lanka's northern front lines killed 26 rebels and two soldiers, the military said on Wednesday.

The latest infantry clashes erupted on Tuesday in the Vavuniya and Welioya regions bordering the rebels' de facto northern state, the military spokesman said.

The fighting in Vavuniya killed 17 rebels and one soldier, while in the nearby Welioya region, nine rebels and one soldier died, he said.

It was not possible to independently verify the military reports because journalists are banned from the northern jungles where much of the fighting takes place.

Each side commonly exaggerates its enemy's casualties and downplays its own.