Soldier killed in mortar attack in Sri Lanka

The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam staged a pre-dawn attack on the Kokkuthuduvai camp using mortars.

Tamil Tiger guerrillas fired mortar bombs at an army camp in northeastern Sri Lanka on Wednesday, killing one soldier and wounding three others, the defence ministry said.

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The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) staged a pre-dawn attack on the Kokkuthuduvai camp using mortars, spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe said.

"We have retaliated and the situation is now under control," Samarasinghe said.

There have been sporadic attacks against military bases in the restive northeastern province despite a truce in place since February 2002.

At least 820 people have been killed in an upsurge of violence since December and Scandinavians monitoring the ceasefire have said that the truce was now only on paper.