Military, Tamil rebels clash, 3 insurgents dead in northern Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: Government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels clashed in northern Sri Lanka leaving three rebels dead, the Defense Ministry said Monday, in the latest violence to hit the war-torn island.

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels were detected near Muhamalai, a border post that divides government and rebel-held areas, in Jaffna peninsula on Sunday.

"A group of Tigers wanted to sneak into our area with the intention to carry out sabotage and killing. We got them before they could come in,'' said Lt. Col. Upali Rajapakse, a senior officer at the Defense Ministry's information center.

Rajapakse said a powerful explosive device was recovered from the area after the rebels had fled with their casualties.

A separate firefight hours earlier left at least 14 guerrillas and one soldier dead in eastern Batticaloa, the Defense Ministry said.

Calls to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's headquarters rang unanswered Monday.

More than 105,000 people have fled eastern Batticaloa district since December 2005 to seek shelter in government-controlled areas, the International Committee of the Red Cross said over the weekend.

A Sri Lanka lawmaker appealed Sunday for the international community to step in and stop fighting, saying military artillery fire against rebel positions has driven tens of thousands of people from their homes in recent weeks.