Lankan army officer killed in mine blast

Colombo, June 8 (UNI) A Sri Lankan military officer was killed this morning when an army patrol came under a claymore mine attack by the LTTE.

''An officer in the rank of a Lieutenant was killed at Parappukkandan in Mannar in claymore mine attack by the LTTE,'' military sources said here.

The explosion occurred in the Mannar, when the routine route clearing patrol of the army came under a claymore mine attack.

The sources also said the LTTE had fired a few rounds of long-range mortar shells towards the army camp at Kiran in the restive eastern Batticaloa district this morning, but said there were no casualties reported due to attack.

The attacks came at a time when the government and the LTTE delegations were in Oslo for a crucial two-day meeting with the Norwegian facilitators on matters relating to the functions and safety of the Nordic truce monitors.

The four-member government delegation led by the head of the government peace secretariat, Dr Palitha Kohona and a five-member LTTE delegation, led by its political wing head S P Thamilselvan left for Oslo on Monday for the proposed talks.

UNI XC YA VA KP1328