COLOMBO, June 27, 2007 (AFP) - At least five soldiers died in a Tamil Tiger assault on a Sri Lankan military post in the northwest Wednesday, the guerrillas said, but the claim was denied by the defence ministry.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they killed the five soldiers and captured three automatic guns in a pre-dawn assault on an army sentry point in the district of Mannar.

The rebels said they did not suffer any losses. The defence ministry however denied the rebel account and said one soldier died and another was injured.

Both sides routinely make casualty claims that are impossible to independently verify.

The latest violence came as the military said it had stepped up a campaign against the Tamil Tigers in the east of the island despite efforts by peace broker Norway to rescue a truce in place since 2002.

More than 60,000 people are reported to have been killed in the separatist campaign in the past 35 years.

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