Policeman, home guard killed in claymore blast

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 October 2001, 07:36 GMT]
A policeman and a home guard were killed when a tractor in which they were travelling was hit by a claymore mine blast at Dutuwewa, in the Vavuniya district, around 10.30 a.m. Monday, police sources said.

The tractor was carrying a water tank to forward defence lines in the area, the sources said.

Dutuwewa is a remote village, about 15 km. north-east of Horowupotana on the Trincomalee-Vavuniya road.

Also yesterday, a policeman was wounded at Pandaarikulam in Vavuniya in a grenade attack around 6.45 p.m., local police sources said.

A police team was about to search two youths when one of them lobbed the grenade on the police.

The police cordoned off the area and conducted a search operation following the incident, the source said.