Sri Lanka: 40 rebels killed during the attack

The rebels said earlier that they had overrun four Sri Lankan army camps around the strategic port of Trincomalee, a day after the guerrillas laid siege to the area, which has seen some of the fiercest fighting in years.

The port is an important lifeline for thousands of troops stationed in the northeast, where the rebels want to carve out a separate homeland for the country's 3.2 million ethnic Tamil minority.

There was no independent confirmation of the ministry's claim, but the administration acknowledged that five soldiers were killed in Wednesday's rebel attacks.

In a statement, the ministry said troops had inflicted "heavy casualties killing over 40 Tiger cadres and wounding 70 other terrorists." The statement said the insurgents retreated, leaving bodies behind.

Earlier, witnesses in Muttur, near Trincomalee, said they saw the bodies of five rebels. The witnesses spoke on condition that they not be identified out of fear of violence, the AP reports

If the Defense Ministry's claim proves to be true, the death toll in recent days will rise to 128 on both sides.

The army Director of Operation, Brig. Athula Jayawardena, denied that rebels overran the army camps.

But local officials reached by the telephone in Muttur said the rebels were trying to advance to take over a jetty in the seaside town.

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