16 Dead in Gun Battle Between Troops, Rebels
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From Times Wire Reports
Sri Lankan troops clashed with Tamil Tiger rebels, leaving as many as 16 combatants dead in the worst fighting since a cease-fire halted a civil war in 2002, officials said.
A pro-rebel website said 12 soldiers were killed and one was captured in the gun battle in a rebel-held village in eastern Batticaloa district. It said four rebels were killed.
The military said 13 soldiers were missing. The International Committee of the Red Cross said the rebels had agreed to hand over the bodies of the 12 soldiers.
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