Sri Lanka troops backed by fighter jets have moved deeper into Tamil Tiger territory in the island’s north, killing 39 rebels, the defence ministry said on Friday.
The military lost two soldiers during heavy clashes Thursday across several northern fronts, a ministry statement said.
The air force said fighter jets carried out three bombing missions on Friday over the Tiger-controlled Kilinochchi area, attacking a communication centre and what it described as a training camp for suicide bombers.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said the bombs fell on a civilian settlement, killing two women and injuring seven others.
Sri Lanka’s Agriculture Minister, Maithripala Sirisena, escaped an assassination attempt on Thursday when a female suicide bomber attacked his convoy, killing two people and injuring six others.
The minister was not hurt, but the vehicle carrying his secretary was damaged in the attack and the deputy agriculture minister, Siripala Gamlath, was among those injured.
Sri Lankan troops are hoping to take control of Kilinochchi which has been the rebels’ administrative centre for the past decade.
Sri Lanka pulled out of a six-year Norwegian-brokered truce in January, since when the military says 7 366 rebels and 727 soldiers have been killed.