The army lost one of its soldiers in the ensuing crossfire.
Troops launched an attack and killed four militants in Madhu and Periyathampane areas of North-western Mannar, the army said. It found the bodies of two women LTTE cadres after it attacked a line of LTTE bunkers 500 meters south of Adampan.
In Jaffna, one soldier was killed in the Kilaly frontline that came under mortar fire on Saturday evening, the Defence Ministry said. “Troops retaliated and suppressed the militants’ indirect fire,” it said.
On the Nagarkovil front in Jaffna and the on the Vavuniya front, troops attacked LTTE bunkers and confronted a group of rebels on Saturday.
Meanwhile, in Chettikulam, troops engaged in fierce clashes with LTTE cadres, killing ten rebels and injuring ten others. Snipers deployed in the Karampaikkulam, Chettikulama and Palaikkuli areas in Mannar border reported that three militants were gunned down on Saturday.
The government has said that it will continue with the February 4 Independence Day celebrations, though an additional 4,000 troops will be deployed in the capital to bolster security.
