By DPA
Colombo : At least two civilians and seven Tamil rebels were killed in three incidents Thursday as the toll in a parcel-bomb blast Wednesday in Colombo mounted to 19.
Two civilians belonging to the majority Sinhala community were shot by Tamil rebels in Batticaloa, 240 km east of the capital, a military spokesman said.
In two other incidents, seven rebels were killed in clashes with government troops in the northern Muhamalai and Killaly areas, about 380 km north of the capital.
The toll in Wednesday’s blast at a clothing shop in Nugegoda, 10 km southeast of the capital, rose to 19 as another victim succumbed to his injuries.
The police and soldiers searched a shopping complex in the city Thursday after receiving an anonymous telephone call about a suspicious parcel, while most vehicles entering the capital city were checked and additional roadblocks erected.
The government has blamed the rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for Wednesday’s explosion.
The military and the government said the rebels are under pressure after losing control of the eastern province they partly dominated a year back. The recent air strikes have also caused considerable damage, including the death of their political leader S P Thamilselvan.
But rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran vowed to continue his struggle for an independent homeland in the northern and eastern parts of the island.
Rebels Wednesday also sent a female suicide bomber to target a Tamil cabinet minister at his office in Colombo. One person was killed along with the attacker.