Sri Lankan air force jets bombed the Tamil rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi today, killing at least four people, a spokesman for the rebel group said.

Sri Lankan troops stormed a village church where about 200 Tamil civilians sought shelter today, shooting indiscriminately and then attacking fishermen in an assault that killed five people and injured 47 more, witnesses said.

Mine explosions killed five government military personnel today, and police found five decapitated bodies dumped in a rubber plantation, as violence that has pushed Sri Lanka to the brink of civil war showed no signs of letting up.

Two Tamil Tiger rebels have died after the explosive-laden jackets they were wearing exploded prematurely.