On the third anniversary of a cease-fire between rival factions in Sri Lanka, the ruling government accused Tamil Tiger rebels of shooting a soldier.
Defense Ministry spokesman Daya Ratnayake said the soldier was killed and another injured in the incident at Killali in northern Jaffna district.
The soldier had just finished his duty and was investigating a noise in the bush when he was shot, the BBC reported Wednesday. Another soldier was injured when he tried to investigate the shooting.
There was no immediate comment from the Tamil Tigers.
Both the army and rebels had been under pressure to observe restraint during the anniversary period.
The cease-fire was also threatened recently with the death of E. Kaushalyan, the most senior Tiger killed since the cease-fire began in February 2002. The rebels blamed the government for the killing. The government denied the accusation and said the killing was carried out by a rival rebel faction.
More than 60,000 people have died since the rebels began their fight for a homeland for minority Tamils.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
