COLOMBO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Both Tamil Tiger rebels and the government troops suffered casualties in clashes on Tuesday in the northern Mullaittivu district where the two sides are engaged in fighting, the military in Sri Lanka said on Wednesday.

    Officials from the Media Center for National Security said at least six clashes between the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) and the troops erupted at Puthukkudiyiruppu, Pattikkaral and Iranapalei areas on Tuesday.

    Both sides "sustained damages in the confrontations," the military said, without giving any casualty figures.

    Meanwhile, a pro-rebel website said 45 civilians including 21 children were killed and 120 others were injured by shells in the new "safe zones" declared by the government at Puthumathalan, Mulivaaikal, Irraddaivaikal and Valaingaramadam in Mullaittivu area on Tuesday.

    The verification of the claims by both sides is almost impossible as the authorities do not allow independent journalists or observers to travel to the battle field.

    The clashes came as the military say the LTTE's over two-decade-old armed struggle to set up a separate homeland for the minority Tamil community is nearing its end as the organization is confined to an area of just 21 sq km in Mullaittivu down from over 15,000 sq km they held when the current military offensive began in 2006.

    More than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict since the mid-1980s in one of the world's longest civil wars.

    Aid agencies say large number of civilians are still being trapped in the conflict area and call on both the warring parties to refrain from attacking civilians.

    The government said nearly 60,000 civilians have fled to the government controlled areas and the government is providing food to the civilians still trapped behind the rebels' defense line.