Tigers say 13 civilians killed, Army denies hand

Thirteen civilians including eleven school children travelling to take part in a war heroes’ ceremony died in a claymore attack near Iyankulam, 25 kilometres west of Kilinochchi town on November 27 at 11.30 am, the LTTE Peace Secretariat said.

When the attack took place the Hiace van in which the girls were travelling was on the Kokavil-Tunukkai Road in the Wanni. The driver of the van and an adult accompanying them were also killed while two injured persons were admitted to Mallavi hospital. The girls who died in the attack were students aged between 14 and 18 of Iyankulam school.

The LTTE Peace Secretariat claimed the attack was carried out by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) saying that the DPU attacks were stepped up in the Wanni during the last few days when heroes’ day remembrance events were held.

However, the SLA firmly denied the allegations and said no DPU was presently operating in the area where the blast had taken place. It further said that the Kokavil area where the claymore went off is over 50 km from the last security forces' check point at Omanthai, Vavuniya.

The SLA added that its sources in Kilinochchi revealed that the LTTE had ordered all Government schools to be kept closed on war heroes’ day so that the schoolchildren could participate in the celebrations held in towns in the region.