Tuesday, December 27 2005 14:32 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Colombo: Tamil Tiger rebels killed at least 10 Sri Lankan soldiers and wounded another four today (Dec 27, 2005) in a fresh landmine attack in troubled northern peninsula of Jaffna, defence officials said.

The soldiers were hit by a Claymore mine at Puloly as they were transporting lunch for their colleagues, the officials said.

The attack was in the same district where 18 soldiers were killed in two similar attacks this month.

Another 15 sailors were killed in another ambush four days ago at the north-western district of Mannar.

"The soldiers were in a convoy transporting lunch when they were hit," a defence official in the area said.

The latest killings came as the island's northern and eastern regions were gripped by a work stoppage to protest the Christmas day assassination of Tamil legislator, Joseph Pararajasingham.

Both the government and the Tamil Tigers have blamed each other for the killing of the 71-year-old leader.