Tigers hit again, top Gen killed by suicide bomber

One of Sri Lanka’s top generals was killed on Monday by a suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber who rammed his motorcycle into an army convoy near the capital, killing three other people, officials said.

One of Sri Lanka’s top generals was killed on Monday by a suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber who rammed his motorcycle into an army convoy near the capital, killing three other people, officials said.

Army deputy chief of staff Major-General Parami Kulatunga was travelling to army headquarters when the attacker approached his vehicle and an escorting army pickup truck in rush-hour traffic around 20 km from Colombo.

The blast left the car a twisted wreck.

“The general is dead. Two others (soldiers) are also dead,” police Chief Inspector Chaminda Bamunuarachchi said at the scene. A civilian was also killed. “I think it was a suicide attack against the general.”

The attack comes on the heels of a rash of ambushes and military clashes that have killed around 700 people — half of them civilians —so far this year. Many fear the violence could reignite a two-decade civil war with the rebels.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have long used suicide bombers both in battle and assassinations. An April attack by a female suicide bomber on army headquarters wounded the army commander and prompted raids on the rebels.

There was no report of new military action against the Tigers. There have been no air strikes on the rebels since earlier in the month and the Tigers have warned of military retaliation if they resume.Ranga Sirilal