2nd Lead (Adds: details)

Claymore blast kills SLA trooper, civilians injured in retaliation

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 July 2006, 03:41 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier was killed in a claymore explosion targetted at the SLA road clearing patrol along Jaffna-Kankesanthurai road near Jaffna Hindu College at 7:45 a.m. Thursday, security sources in Jaffna said. Five civilians were injured when the SLA troopers opened fire indiscriminately and assulted pedestrians following the explosion.

Two civilians, P.Balasubramanium, 55, and S.Krishnakumar, 50, were admitted to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital with gun shot injuries, hospital sources said.

The 3 civilians who were injured when the troops at Kasthuriyar road assaulted are:

1.K.Thayaparan 23, Kalapoomi, Karainagar.
2.S.Punniyamaniyam 47, Kalapoomi, Karainagar
3.R.Ravindran 24, Ketpeli, Mirusuvil.

Large number of SLA soldiers cordoned off and searched a large area surrounding the location of the explosion. Details are not available of any arrests.

Vehicular traffic was blocked along the KKS road for several hours following the explosion, residents said.