Dec 30, Colombo: Heavy clashes raged across Sri Lanka's war torn North as troops expanded their defence lines in the battlefields with the Air Force attacking LTTE targets in support of the troops.

Air Force spokesman Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara said the Air Force carried out 6 bombing missions and one helicopter assault at LTTE defences in Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi battlefronts today.

Fighter jets bombed four LTTE strongholds in Paranthan in support of the Army Task Force 1 and 57 Division marching towards Kilinochchi. Another two air strikes targeted two LTTE strongholds south of Mullaitivu while MI 24 helicopters strafed an LTTE gathering detected west of Mullaitivu to support the troops of 59 Division, the spokesman added.

Amid heavy resistance from LTTE, troops captured and consolidated the area west of Kilinochchi - Paranthan today expanding the Forward Defence Line (FDL in the Thadduwankoddy and Komarikudakulam area, the military said adding that the confrontation inflicted heavy losses to the Tigers. Troops found 6 dead bodies of the rebels in a subsequent search.

Troops advancing in the Mullaitivu front expanded their FDL in the Kulamurippu west area after a fierce clash with the LTTE rebels yesterday.

Without releasing any casualty figures the military said both the LTTE Tigers and troops sustained damages in a confrontation in the Nalanawakulam East area of Kilinochchi yesterday. The soldiers are about 4 kilometers away from the LTTE bastion of Paranthan and poised to capture the town of Periya-Paranthan.

Meanwhile the military said the International Committee of the Red Cross handed over the remains of 17 soldiers to the Army at Omanthai in the northern Vavuniya district yesterday night.

The rebels have faced heavy losses recently since the military offensive began to capture the rebel held Wanni. Defence analysts say both sides have suffered heavy losses. The military has stopped releasing casualty figures and independent accounts of the numbers dead are not possible to obtain.