Breakaway rebels attack Tamil Tigers: one killed

Breakaway rebels attack Tamil Tigers: one killed

A faction of Tamil insurgents attacked rival Tamil Tiger rebels in eastern Sri Lanka on Wednesday, killing at least one person, a rebel official said.

The killing came as Sri Lankan government leaders and the Tamil Tiger rebel group were to begin their first direct talks in nearly three years later Wednesday in Geneva, hoping to shore up a ragged cease-fire agreement and move stalled peace talks back on track.

Daya Master, a spokesman for the Tigers said one member of the rebels' auxiliary force was killed in the attack by militants from a group that split off from the Tamil Tigers in early 2004.

The mainstream group accuses the government of backing the renegades and is demanding they be disarmed. The government denies backing the splinter group, reports the AP.

I.L.