Colombo - Security forces stepped up attacks in northern Sri Lanka yesterday, killing four rebels and bringing to nine the number killed in a 24-hour period, the defence ministry here said.
Troops ambushed a group of rebels from the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam at Ethawetunuwewa and killed four of them, a ministry spokesman said. The government has refused to agree to a truce before entering into talks which Norway has been trying to broker for the past two years.