Tamil rebels killed in Sri Lanka

Heavy fighting continues in northern Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan army says seven Tamil Tiger rebels have been killed in fresh fighting in the north.

The rebels were killed in an army operation near Omanthai, some 11 km (seven miles) north of the government-controlled town of Vavuniya.

"It was a planned operation," an army spokesman, Brigadier Sanath Karunaratne, said, adding that there were no military casualties.

He said the rebel casualties had been confirmed in radio transmissions by the Tamil Tigers.

There has been no official word from the Tamil Tigers as yet.

The fighting follows an unilateral month-long ceasefire announced by the Tamil Tiger leader, V Prabhakaran, on Christmas Day.

It was declared as a prelude to peace talks with the government.

The government has said it is willing to talk to the rebels but rejected the ceasefire saying it would not lay down arms.

In the past few days, it has accused the Tamil Tigers of launching attacks on government forces and violating the ceasefire.

It said the ceasefire was a ploy to allow the Tigers to rebuild and regroup, following its recent heavy military defeats.

Brigadier Karunaratne said that nearly 4,000 people had died in the fighting last year - a sharp increase in the number of casualties.

More than 55,000 people have died so far in almost 15 years of fighting.

The Tamil Tigers are fighting for an independent homeland made up of Tamil majority areas.