Colombo  – Ten soldiers and 40 Tamil rebels were killed and three more soldiers were reported missing during weekend clashes between the two sides in north-western Sri Lanka, the defence ministry said Monday.

The deaths were reported in three separate incidents in the Mannar area, 320 kilometres north of the capital, where government troops are trying to push forward into rebel controlled areas.

Five of the soldiers were killed in the Nadunkandal where the Tamil rebels made an attempt to capture the forward defence lines of the army and lost 21 of their cadres, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.

Twelve rebels and three soldiers were also injured in the incident in the fighting that lasted more than one hour.

Four soldiers and eight rebels were killed in a separate clash in the Karukkandal area on Sunday morning. Three soldiers were reported missing after the clash.

Rebels also had launched a mortar attack, killing one soldier, and troops retaliated killing 11 rebels.

Fighting in the north has claimed over 4,000 lives during the past four months, according to the military. (dpa)