The defence ministry claimed at least 66 Tigers were killed in artillery and air attacks against the rebel-held Sampur on Monday. But the military advance that began late on Sunday to capture Sampur appeared to have been halted on Tuesday in the face of stiff resistance from the rebels, local officials in Trincomalee said.
"Technical resources assisting troops in the confrontations with Tiger terrorists have confirmed that over 66 Tigers have been killed so far," the defence ministry said in a statement.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam said at least 26 civilians were killed in attacks carried out by the military on Monday, but did not say if they suffered any losses.
Military sources said 15 soldiers had been killed and another 92 wounded on Monday and that the fighting had died down on Tuesday.
However, in the north of the island, the military said they killed 12 Tigers who tried to attack an army bunker line at Poowarasankulam in Vavuniya where unidentified gunmen had also shot dead two civilians.