At least seven Tamil Tiger rebels have been shot dead in eastern Sri Lanka, the rebel movement says. A Tiger statement said unidentified attackers had opened fire on a rebel camp near Batticaloa, some 220km east of Colombo. No group has said it carried out the attack. Earlier this month, the rebels defeated, but did not capture, a renegade commander in the area.
| He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day. |
Batticaloa is controlled by the army, but rebels control pockets around it.
| Then it's not controlled by the army... |
A Tiger statement said the seven men were gunned down overnight on Sunday by men in a white van.
| Ahah! It was the Beltway Sniper! I'd recognize that white box truck anywhere! |
| "O.J.! The real killers are over here!" |
A complaint had been lodged with the Scandinavian mission which monitors a truce between rebels and the government, the statement said.
| "I'm sorry, we only monitor fighting between you and government forces. Fighting between rebel groups is outside our charter." |
| "You should refer this to our mighty Uruguyan colleagues." |
The Tigers say the attack took place at a home for disabled fighters inside rebel territory. Four of those killed were reportedly disabled, and the other three were guarding the home.
| Shooting the cripples, how very brave. |
| "Yeah, but they wuz mean cripples! An' their baby ducks wuz vicious!" |
Although the identity of the assailants is unknown, the Sri Lankan army said they could be loyalists of the renegade commander, Colonel Karuna. His breakaway faction of the rebels was defeated in the Batticaloa area earlier this month. The political head of the Tigers, SP Thamilselvan, also blamed the killings on Colonel Karuna's men. The deputy chief of European ceasefire monitors in Sri Lanka, Hagrup Haukland, said that his officials were investigating the incident. The ceasefire monitors say they have not been shown the bodies of the rebels who were killed - despite repeated requests, and have been given no explanation as to why.
| Hummm, maybe they ain't dead? |
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