For Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief Velupillai Prabhakaran the most lethal weapon in his armoury is the young men and women who believe the greatest glory lies in blowing themselves to pieces in suicide attacks.
On Tuesday, military officials said the Tigers, who are battling for a separate homeland for Tamils, used their suicide bombing tactic again -- this time to attack the motorcade carrying army commander Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka.
The bomber disguised herself as a pregnant woman and detonated the explosives near the convoy, leaving 10 dead and 30 wounded, including Fonseka, they said.
The blast follows a trail of bloodshed over several weeks that has effectively torpedoed planned talks in Switzerland on salvaging a tottering ceasefire.
Last August, the rebels who have "liberated" vast swathes of territory in the northeast and operate an army and a small navy, were blamed for assassinating Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar.
More than 60,000 people have di