Security Forces killed 42 Tamil Tigers and injured 53 in a ground and sea offensive aimed at dismantling the rebels' mini-state in the north of the island, the defence ministry said today.
Two soldiers were killed in Thursday's clashes, and another 20 injured, said military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara. The military says the terrorists have lost 7,158 fighters since January, when Colombo pulled out of a Norwegian-brokered ceasefire. The defence ministry has acknowledged the loss of 697 soldiers over the same period.