Rebels Reportedly Kill Hundreds

Tamil rebels overran several military posts in northern Sri Lanka, killing hundreds of soldiers, a senior army official said. The official did not know the exact number of soldiers killed but said about 600 were either dead, wounded or missing. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam breached the government’s front lines near the town of Oddusudan, 155 miles northeast of Colombo, the capital, and the official said they had seized one town and were shelling another. They stormed Oddusudan a day earlier, killing more than 150 soldiers. A military spokesman said he could not comment on whether the rebels--who are seeking an independent state--had overrun the towns.