COLOMBO, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- At least 17 Tamil Tiger rebels have been killed in separate clashes Friday in northern Sri Lanka, defense officials said Saturday.

    Clashes erupted in Kilali in the northern Jaffna peninsula and elsewhere in the northern provinces of Vavuniya and Mannar. Only two soldiers were injured in the clashes, officials added.

    Meanwhile, a candidate in the election for the Municipal Council in the eastern Batticaloa district has been reported missing since Friday night, the police at Kathankudy, 410 km east of here, said Saturday.

    Sangaradas Sivadasan, a candidate from the ruling United People's Freedom Party (UPFA) to the March 10 election, was reportedly abducted by an armed group that arrived at his residence around 9.30 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) Friday, said the police.

    The elections for nine local councils in the eastern province will be the first ever in the province after the government in July last year announced that LTTE rebels had been completely evicted from the province.