COLOMBO, Sept 1, 2007 (AFP) - At least two people died and more were wounded in an exchange of artillery fire between Sri Lankan troops and Tamil rebels in the island's northwest, guerrillas and the defence ministry said on Saturday.

The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they killed a government soldier and lost one of their own fighters during Friday's clashes in the coastal district of Mannar.

After the confrontation, "the LTTE front liners searched the area where they found a dead body of a Sri Lanka armed force soldier and military equipment," LTTE spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiriyan said.

The body of the Sri Lankan soldier would be returned to the military through the Red Cross, he said in a statement.

A Tiger cadre was also killed in the confrontation, he said.

The defence ministry said a "few soldiers" suffered "minor injuries."

Reports confirm that "the LTTE had suffered heavy casualties during the pre-emptive measures taken by the security forces," the ministry said in a statement.

The two sides have been locked in combat since 1972 with the Tigers fighting for a separate state for minority Tamils. The 35-year-old ethnic conflict has claimed more than 60,000 lives.

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