The LTTE launched in November a major attack on government troops, and captured several military camps in Sri Lanka's northern Wanni region before shelling the army's Elephant Pass base in the north. The army has lost some areas around the military base, which it says has been vacated for tactical reasons. The fall of Elephant Pass, which links the northern Jaffna peninsula with the rest of the island, would open an easy route for the rebels to their former stronghold of Jaffna. On Thursday, at least five security officers and two civilians died in the blast at the post office in Vavuniya. Among the dead were soldiers waiting to send money to their families.
Authorities search for suspect No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast.
Police and security forces quickly began searching for a suspect who they said placed the parcel bomb. Vavuniya, a Tamil majority town, is the northern-most town under Sri Lankan government control. The LTTE rebels have been trying to gain control because of its strategic location for moving supplies. The LTTE guerrillas are fighting government troops for a separate homeland in Sri Lanka's north and east. More than 55,000 people have died in the fighting since 1983.