By DPA
Colombo : At least eight civilians were killed Thursday in two claymore mine blast carried out by government troops in northern Sri Lanka, Tamil rebels claimed.
The attacks came as fresh fighting left nine rebels dead and scores wounded in the north since Wednesday.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) blamed the army’s deep penetration unit for carrying out the claymore mine attacks in Panankamam and Maruthamadu in Wanni district, 260 km north of the capital.
The Sri Lankan military denied that the army was involved in the attacks.
In a press statement posted on their official website the rebels gave the names of the victims and said they were travelling in tractors to their farms when they came under attack by government forces.
In two separate incidents, nine rebels were killed by government forces in the northern province Wednesday, the military claimed.
The confrontations were reported in Kolimadu, Vavuniya, 240 km north of the capital, where three rebels were killed, and in Thiruketheeshwaran, Mannar, 320 km north of the capital, where six rebels were killed.
Heavy fighting has been going on in the northern province for weeks as government troops have intensified their effort to recapture rebel-controlled areas.