At least 13 Tamil Tiger rebels & one soldier have been killed in a fierce battle in the volatile north, militart said on Wednesday

An official said that the fighting broke out as soldiers launched a pre-dawn attack on Wednesday on Tamil rebels across the front lines in the northern Mannar district. He is not authorised to speak to the media.

There was no immediate comment from rebels. It is not possible to get independent accounts of the clashes because the war zone is restricted to journalists.

Fighting has increased along the front lines in the northern region in recent months.