Colombo  - A week after the Sri Lankan government declared the Tamil rebels crushed, army commandos killed 11 rebels in the eastern part of the country and recovered a haul of weapons, the army said Wednesday.

The rebels were killed in the Kanjikudichchiaru area, 320 kilometres south-east of the capital in the Ampara district, an area that had been declared cleared by security forces.

The army said that among the items recovered were five T-56 assault rifles, 20 claymore mines, two hand grenades, three anti- personnel mines and medical equipment.

On May 19, after months of fighting government troops declared that the rebels had been crushed and that all rebel held areas in the northern province had been recaptured, and claimed that prior to that the entire eastern province had been brought under government control.

Military officials said that it was possible that a small group of rebels had slipped into the eastern province and were operating there.

Search operations are said to be continuing. (dpa)