The fighting erupted when soldiers attacked and neutralised a rebel mortar position from where they were firing at government troops, in the Vavuniya district, said military spokesman Brig Prasad Samarasinghe.

He said the ensuing confrontation killed one soldier and left 12 others wounded.

Samarasinghe did not give details of rebel casualties, but said insurgents suffered heavy losses.

Also Saturday, the air force hit a rebel camp in northern Mannar district. No casualty figures were available, said an official, speaking on condition of anonymity citing policy.

The rebels' military spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan was not immediately available for comment.

Hours later, the information center said police found 784 sticks of gelignite explosives while being transported to eastern Trincomalee district.

Police manning a checkpoint Gelewela town 130 kilometers (80 miles) northeast of the capital, Colombo stopped a suspicious truck and found the sticks hidden inside, the center said.

The driver and another man were arrested. It was not immediately unknown whether the explosives were intended for the Tamil Tigers.

The clash in the north came days after government troops captured the last rebel stronghold in Sri Lanka's east, the scene of heavy

fighting over the last few weeks.

The government victory Wednesday over Thoppigala - the last organized rebel resistance area in Eastern Province - has given the government total control of the province for the first time in 13 years.