COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, February 28, SPA -- Sri Lankan soldiers killed atleast nine Tamil Tiger insurgents in fierce clashes in thenortheast, the military said Saturday. Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said the rebelswere killed Friday in Puthukudiyiruppu, the last rebel-heldtownship. If the town falls, the rebels will be confined to a smallcoastal strip of land, a few villages and a patch ofjungle, according to a report of Associated Press.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/639520