SRI LANKA ? Scattered battles in the war-torn jungles of northern Sri Lanka killed 20 separatist guerrillas and a soldier, the military said Friday, while the rebels accused the government of killing eight civilians in an airstrike.

The violence came as fighting between the two sides has sharply increased in recent weeks, with the government vowing to retake rebel-controlled territory and crush the Tamil Tigers after more than two decades of warfare.

On Friday, soldiers fired at a group of rebels who tried to infiltrate the government-held Welioya region, killing six guerrillas, the military said in a statement.