Intense fighting in northern Sri Lanka has left at least 25 government troops and 120 Tamil Tigers dead in ongoing battles for the rebels' political capital.
Security forces carried out simultaneous attacks against Tamil Tiger strong-points near the town of Kilinochchi, and also on the Jaffna peninsula.
Another 160 government soldiers and an estimated 250 rebels have been wounded during the fighting.
The military said 10 of its soldiers were also missing after the fighting.
The defence ministry decided in October to stop revealing daily casualty figures, saying they would affect military operations.
Troops were said to be consolidating positions they had captured from the Tigers, who have offered stiff resistance to government forces advancing on Kilinochchi, 330 kilometres north of Colombo.
There was no immediate comment from the Tamil Tigers, but the pro-rebel Tamilnet website said at least 40 government soldiers were killed and another 120 wounded on the Jaffna peninsula alone.
The website said fighting went on for nine hours, adding the Tigers had beaten back the military's advance in the peninsula, but it made no reference to the fighting in the Kilinochchi area.
