Suspected rebels kill 2 Muslims in eastern Lanka

Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels shot and killed two Muslim village guards as they were returning home in the morning.

Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels shot and killed two Muslim village guards early on Friday in eastern Sri Lanka, the military said.

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The assailants shot the guards as they returned home early in the morning after night duty in Kudapokuna, about 215 kms northeast of Colombo, said military spokesman Brig Prasad Samarasinghe.

Authorities suspect members of the Tamil Tiger rebels in the shooting, Samarasinghe said.

The Tigers began fighting in 1983 to carve out an independent homeland in the north and east for ethnic minority Tamils, but signed a ceasefire with the government in 2002.