Lankan killings escalate despite US pressure

A former military informant was gunned down in the north-eastern district of Trincomalee Saturday night in what military officials said was a killing carried out by the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

"We are seeing an increase in attacks," a military official said. "There had also been a grenade attack against a Tiger office (Saturday) night, but no one was hurt in that."

Saturday's shooting came as US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage condemned recent attacks by Tamil Tiger rebels as an "assault" on the Norwegian-backed peace process and urged all sides to resume talks.