Tigers blame Lanka for killing civilians
Afp, Colombo
Tamil Tiger rebels yesterday accused government forces of shelling civilian settlements in eastern Sri Lanka and killing at least eight villagers. Troops killed eight civilians, including four children, when they fired at a suburb of Sittandy in the eastern region late on Thursday, the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said. "Eight civilians, including four children, were killed," the LTTE said in a statement. "Six shells were fired towards the civilian settlement. Eight houses were damaged." The rebel statement came after the defence ministry on Friday accused the Tamil Tigers of shelling the villages and killing civilians. However, the Tigers said they had not opened fire in the disputed area on Thursday.
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