COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - The Sri Lankan army launched a wave of attacks against Tamil Tiger separatists in the north, sparking battles that killed 29 rebels and one soldier, the military said Thursday.
The new fighting came as officials from eight South Asian nations gathered in Colombo for a regional conference that is to culminate in a top-level summit this weekend.
The Tamil Tigers offered a cease-fire beginning last Saturday because of the conference, but the government rejected it as a ploy by the rebels to gain time to regroup after several recent battlefield losses.
A rebel attack near Colombo during the summit would be deeply embarrassing for the government, which has sealed off roads across the capital and sent 19,000 troops and soldiers onto the streets to prevent any bombings.
At the same time, troops have launched a series of attacks on the rebels' de facto state in the north in recent days.
Fighting raged throughout Thursday and Wednesday in the Welioya and Vavuniya regions along the front lines, the military said in a statement.
Five rebels were killed Thursday in two separate clashes that lasted for two hours in Welioya, said the military.
Troops attacked a rebel bunker line in one battle that lasted 11 hours and killed seven rebels on Wednesday, the military said. The military also attacked the Kattikulam area Wednesday, killing six rebels, the military said.
Another 11 rebels and one soldier were killed in scattered battles, the military said.
Military helicopters also attacked a rebel bunker line Thursday morning in support of advancing ground troops, the military said.
Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan was not immediately available for comment. Both sides routinely exaggerate enemy casualties and underreport their own. Independent verification of the fighting is not possible because journalists are barred from the war zone.
The summit of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation is scheduled to bring together the heads of government of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The Tamil rebels have been fighting for an independent state in the north and east since 1983, following decades of marginalization by governments dominated by the Sinhalese majority. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
Fighting escalated in recent months after the government vowed to crush the rebels by the end of the year. - AP