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Government troops and Tamil rebels exchanged mortar and artillery fire in northeastern Sri Lanka Monday, killing at least 12 soldiers and 20 others, believed to be civilians, military officials and reports from the area said. The exchange of fire took place in Selvanagar, Thoppur and Sampoor areas of Trincomalee district, 240 km northeast of the capital. Military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said the army was forced to retaliate when the rebels fired at the security forces. But a rebel spokesman said the army in addition to firing mortars and artillery also made an abortive attempt to enter a rebel-controlled area. The rebel spokesman said at least 20 civilians were killed in the artillery and mortar attacks by the rebels in the rebel-controlled Sampoor area, but the army denied the claim. Military officials in the area said at least 12 soldiers were killed and more than 75 others were injured and were being brought to hospitals in the adjoining north-central province. In a separate incident Monday, a soldier was killed and another was injured when rebels fired at them while they were repairing an army vehicle in a garage in Vavuniya, north of the capital. Sporadic clashes between rebels and the security forces are continuing in the north and east after nearly four weeks of heaving fighting left more than 500 rebels, soldiers and civilians dead.
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