Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers Thursday said government troops had penetrated deep within their territory and killed four rebel fighters. The incident occurred in a rebel-held region in the north-eastern Trincomalee district, about 215 kilometers (135 miles) from the capital, Colombo, a report posted on the pro-rebel TamilNet website said.
The defence ministry denied government troops had entered Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) territory. The rebels and the government signed a cease-fire in 2002 but it has been breached by almost daily tit-for-tat attacks in the past six months. At least 830 people have died in the violence since December, according to official figures.