Mine blast kills 10 soldiers in Sri Lanka

Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels killed 10 soldiers and wounded eight Tuesday when they set off a powerful landmine in the Jaffna peninsula in northern Sri Lanka, a military official said.









Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels killed 10 soldiers and wounded eight Tuesday when they set off a powerful landmine in the Jaffna peninsula in northern Sri Lanka, a military official said. The soldiers were ambushed with a Claymore mine at Puloly in the peninsula, where 18 soldiers were killed in two similar attacks this month, the official said when contacted by telephone.

"The soldiers were in a convoy transporting lunch for their colleagues when they were hit," the official said.

Four days ago, the Tigers were accused of another ambush in the northwest of the island, killing at least 15 sailors and wounding an equal number.

The latest killings came as the troubled regions were gripped by a work stoppage to protest the Christmas Day assassination of a Tamil legislator.

Shops and offices were shut as a mark of respect for Pararajasingham, 71, who was gunned down just after he received Holy Communion at a Catholic church in the eastern town of Batticaloa, residents said.

An outfi