Sri Lankan soldiers killed by mine

The soldiers were returning home from the frontline

Six Sri Lankan soldiers have been killed and 20 others wounded in an attack blamed on Tamil Tiger rebels.

The rebels are said to have detonated a land mine as an army bus drove by at Maduvil in the northern Jaffna peninsula.

The attack was a surprise because it took place in a cleared area

Military spokesman Brigadier Karunaratne

The attack took place in broad daylight in an area under government control.

The BBC's Frances Harrison in Colombo says the incident suggests that rebel infiltration in the Jaffna peninsula is on the increase.

"The attack was a surprise because it took place in a cleared area," said military spokesman Brigadier Sanath Karunaratne said.

The rebels withdrew a ceasefire in April

A similar attack on a bus carrying naval personnel going home on leave occurred last month, killing 10 people.

In April, the Tamil Tigers ended a four-month unilateral ceasefire.

More than 60,000 people have been killed in nearly two decades of fighting between the rebels and Sri Lankan forces.

Food and relief

In a separate development, rebel radio broadcasts denied reports that they had shut down the main checkpoint for goods and civilians crossing into their territory.

The rebels said the checkpoint at Piramanalankulam would be opened for civilians on Tuesday.

There was no immediate explanation of why the post was closed Saturday for the regular crossing of food convoys.

The rebels normally let civilians cross the frontlines two days a week and on Saturday allow in convoys of the International Committee of the Red Cross carrying food and medicine supplied by the Sri Lankan Government.

But the defence ministry announced on Saturday that the rebels had not allowed the food convoys into areas under their control.

In a statement on Monday, the government said about 1,000 civilians were stranded, unable to return to the vast rebel-held Wanni region.