Colombo, Sep 25 (Xinhua) At least two civilians were killed Tuesday in a roadside bomb explosion blamed on Tamil Tiger rebels in the northern Jaffna peninsula, defence officials said.
The bomb exploded in Jaffna’s Sittankerni area at 8.15 a.m. (0245 GMT) targeting an Army patrol, killing two civilians and wounding three soldiers.
A 42-year-old female lecturer at the Jaffna University and a 25-year-old youth were the two killed in the explosion, officials said.
The military blamed the rebels of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for renewed claymore mine attacks against the troops in Jaffna.
In the northern district of Mannar, the military said four soldiers were injured in the continuation of fierce clashes in the Giant’s Tank area early Tuesday.
At least nine LTTE cadres were killed and 36 injured in the battle, officials said.
Northern Province saw clashes between the troops and the rebels over the weekend.
Fighting continues in the island despite the Norwegian backed ceasefire and the peace process.
More than 5,000 people have died in the escalating conflict since the end of 2005.
Claiming discrimination at the hands of the Sinhala majority, the LTTE has been fighting the government since the mid-1980s to establish a separate homeland for the minority Tamils in the north and east.