Colombo: Tamil Tigers and a breakaway faction clashed in Sri Lanka's volatile East today (Sep 28, 2004) leaving at least seven people dead, including a woman caught in the crossfire, military sources and residents said.

At least six rebels from the main Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) group were killed in the factional fighting in Batticaloa district, local residents said.

A 40-year-old woman was also killed in the crossfire, military sources said.

The latest fighting came three days after a similar confrontation left six people from LTTE dead.

Meanwhile, LTTE's political wing leader S P Thamilselvan was set to travel to Europe tomorrow (Sep 29, 2004) leading a rebel delegation for talks on Sri Lanka's stalled peace process.

The delegation will travel to Switzerland, Denmark, Norway and Ireland during their three-week tour, a pro-rebel website reported.

The Sri Lankan Government has expressed serious concern over the escalating violence despite a Norwegian-arranged ceasefire that is in place since February 2002.

The internecine fighting erupted after an unprecedented split among rebel ranks led by breakaway LTTE leader V Muralitharan, better known as Karuna.

He went underground in April after failing to resist an onslaught from the main Tiger movement in the island's East.