Rebels Accuse Army of Assassination
The separatist Tamil Tiger guerrillas accused the Sri Lankan army of assassinating one of their senior leaders in a commando strike far behind rebel lines.
The army denied responsibility for the killing, which the rebels condemned as provocative, raising fears of a retaliatory attack.
A rebel statement described the slain guerrilla as Shankar, a self-styled colonel of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and a confidant of the group’s reclusive leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran.
“A deep penetration commando unit of the Sri Lankan army triggered a claymore mine on Col. Shankar’s vehicle and he was killed on the spot,” the statement said.
“We have absolutely no involvement with this,” said military spokesman Brig. Sanath Karunaratne.
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