58 Sri Lanka Rebels Reported Slain in Raid

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka —  Security forces killed 58 separatist Tamil guerrillas Friday when they raided a jungle hideout in northeastern Sri Lanka, the state radio said.

It quoted National Security Minister Lalith Athulathmudali as saying that soldiers attacked the camp in a village that was the scene of a fierce battle between rebels and security forces two days ago.

Athulathmudali was quoted as saying that large quantities of arms and ammunition were captured in the raid. “No civilian was killed during the operation,” he said. On Wednesday, four soldiers and 14 guerrillas fighting for a separate state for Sri Lanka’s 2.5 million minority Tamils were killed in the village in a battle lasting nearly five hours.