Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels bomb police bus

Colombo, Jan 31: Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels ambushed a police bus with a roadside bomb outside a university in eastern Sri Lanka today, killing six officers as they headed on leave, the military said.

The attack in the restive eastern district of Batticaloa came after the government vowed to wipe out the Tigers militarily, a development analysts say could deepen a new chapter in a two-decade civil war.

''A Claymore (fragmentation mine) attack in front of the Eastern University in Batticaloa has blasted a bus carrying police personnel going on leave,'' military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe told reporters.

''Six were killed. There may be more injuries.'' It also comes after the military this month captured a key eastern Tiger stronghold that analysts say has emboldened the government to try to end the conflict on the battlefield rather than at the peace talks table.

Today's attack also comes after two naval attacks by suspected Tiger rebels this month, and observers fear the government is underestimating the rebels' military capability.

The foes have ignored repeated calls by a worried international community to halt fighting and resume peace talks.

The Tigers say they do not trust the government, have resumed their push for an independent state, and analysts expect a war that has killed more than 67,000 people since 1983 to deepen.

REUTERS >