COLOMBO, Aug 27, 2007 (AFP) - At least nine Tamil Tiger rebels were killed and five government soldiers wounded in weekend battles in northern Sri Lanka, the defence ministry said Monday.

The nine members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were killed in northwestern Mannar district, the ministry said in a statement.

Army troops also recovered a large stock of weapons at the weekend, the statement added. There was no immediate word from the LTTE, which has been fighting for a separate homeland for the island's Tamil minority for more than 30 years.

More than 5,200 people have been killed in renewed fighting between the two sides since December 2005.

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