One killed, five injured in Sri Lanka

One killed, five injured in Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Feb 13, 2007 (AFP) - A civilian was gunned down in Sri Lanka's restive north on Monday, while security forces traded fire with Tamil Tiger rebels elsewhere, the defence ministry said. More than 60,000 people have died in the 35-year-old ethnic conflict.





Unidentified gunmen shot dead a Tamil civilian in the northern district of Jaffna in the early hours of Tuesday morning, the ministry.

In the same district, an army soldier was injured when Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) fired on troops.

Four special taskforce personnel were also injured in a separate attack in the eastern district of Batticaloa, when Tiger rebels aimed mortar fire against their camp in Vavunathivu, the ministry said.

There was no immediate comment from the LTTE.

Fighting has escalated between troops and Tamil Tigers in the past year, killing more than 3,800 people, despite a truce in place since February 2002.