Saturday, April 29 2006 16:41 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Colombo: Amidst escalating violence between the LTTE and Sri Lankan military, Scandinavian truce monitors today said government forces had violated a ceasefire agreement by launching air strikes against Tamil Tigers and were also involved in 'extra-judicial' killings of civilians.

"The air strikes that were conducted by the Sri Lankan government in Trincomalee district on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) targets in Sampoor area on April 25 and 26, 2006 are a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement," a statement from the Scandinavian Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) said.

"We also fear that government security forces have, in the North and the East, been involved in extra-judicial killings of civilians. This conviction is based on our observation and inquiries on the ground," the SLMM said.

The Sri Lankan military launched strikes from the air, sea and land after a woman suicide bomber attempted to assassinate the army commander Sarath Fonseka on Tuesday, killing 11 people and injuring 30.

The military also claimed that the LTTE was firing at their camps in the Trincomalee area and that their bombardment was in response to that.

The truce monitors urged the government "to refrain fromsuch operations as they can jeopardise the ceasefire further and will only add fuel to the conflict."

They noted that the escalating violence between the LTTE and the military was threatening to destroy the February 2002 truce brokered by Norway and called on the two sides to desist and make efforts instead to resume stalled peace talks.

The statement also upbraided the rebels for locating military targets close to schools and homes. The air strikes displaced thousands of people who had to flee for safety.

President Mahinda Rajapakse had yesterday said his government now faced a more dangerous war that is the propaganda war.

He said the LTTE was trying to make mileage out of the air strikes.

"They are trying to show the rest of the world the defensive course of action adopted us in the face of thousands of attacks launched by them is a great crime," he said.

Meanwhile, the death toll in Tuesday's bombing went up to 11 with a woman soldier succumbing to her injuries last night. Army Chief Fonseka was still at the intensive care unit with four others.