Sri Lankan army 'in rebel area'

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The Sri Lankan army says it has moved into Tamil Tiger rebel-held areas in the north, after fighting between the two sides left 33 soldiers dead.

The military said its troops had advanced about 1km (0.6 miles) into the Jaffna peninsula and captured rebel forward defence lines.

The latest clashes broke out in the Muhamalai area of northern Jaffna.

The government accuses the rebels of starting the fighting by attacking their frontline positions.

An army official has said up to 130 rebels may have been killed in the recent flare up of hostilities, although the rebels say fewer than 10 of their fighters have been killed.

The Muhamalai checkpoint is one of the focal spots of the fighting in the Jaffna peninsula - on one side is government land; on the other, Tamil Tiger-controlled territory.

Renewed fighting

On the pro-Tiger website Tamilnet, the rebels claim that the Sri Lankan army has suffered heavy casualties. The army says more than 100 soldiers have been wounded in the offensive.

Both sides have been inflating the losses on the other side. Independent verification is impossible.

Renewed fighting in Sri Lanka's 20-year civil war began in late July, with air strikes on rebel territory amid a dispute over a blocked water supply.

A 2002 ceasefire still technically holds, although both sides accuse the other of trying to force a full-scale return to war.

The fighting has effectively cut access by road to and from the Jaffna peninsula, leaving thousands of people trapped and running short of vital supplies.

Ships have been sent by the government and aid agencies to bring supplies to the area and evacuate civilians.