The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Colombo

Renewed violence between Tamil rebels and government forces left at least 22 people dead in northern Sri Lanka, the defence ministry said Monday.

Among the dead were two civilians killed by unidentified attackers in the Jaffna peninsula where 15 Tamil Tiger rebels also died in clashes with troops on Sunday, the ministry said in a statement.

Soldiers shot dead another five Tiger rebels in Vavuniya district, just south of the mini-state run by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The ministry did not cite casualties among its forces.

The latest toll took the number of rebels the military says it has killed to at least 316 since December 1. The government says only a handful of its troops have died this month.