Colombo, Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan air force jets bombed two ethnic Tamil rebel positions Wednesday, a day after troops killed three insurgents in separate clashes as they continued their campaign to capture two main rebel strongholds, the military said. 

Fighter jets targeted the rebels at two locations where they had been resisting government troops trying to advance into their de facto capital of Kilinochchi, the military said in a statement. It did not give casualty details.

Also on Tuesday, troops trying to capture the rebels' northeastern stronghold of Mullaitivu found another dead rebel after several separate clashes, the statement said. It said soldiers suffered "minor damages" but did not elaborate.

Far from the northern battle zone, soldiers killed one rebel in an ambush in the government-controlled Ampara district in the east, the military said

Rebel officials could not be contacted for comment because communication lines to the rebel-held territory have been severed. 

The government says its troops are closing in on Kilinochchi amid heavy resistance while other groups of soldiers are moving toward Mullaitivu on the northeastern coast. The two towns have been the main hubs of rebel activity. 

Authorities have vowed to crush the rebels and end their 25-year separatist campaign for an independent state for ethnic minority Tamils. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the violence.

Courtesy: iht