Military Spokesman Daya Ratnayake said the jeep of Col. W.M.S.Gunaratne had been damaged but he had not been in the vehicle. However a bystander had been injured in the attack.
The military jeep had been proceeding towards Valachchenai from Kalkudah around 11 am when it came under attack, he said. The spokesman said four men believed to be LTTE cadres had fled the scene just after the attack. The driver of the jeep escaped unhurt but a shop owner was admitted to the Valachchenai hospital with serious injuries.
The Army has made a formal complaint to the SLMM regarding the incident and the new SLMM chief said their officials were probing the incident. .
Some reports said two EPDP supporters had been present in the area when the attack took place and it was not immediately known whether the EPDPers were the target of the attackers.
Security has been tightened in the area and a major operation is under way to track down the attackers, the military spokesman said.
Meanwhile, the LTTE had reportedly arrested three Tamil civilians who had allegedly committed several illegal activities in the Vavuniya area.
Military sources said the three civilians were arrested on Sunday evening and were now being detained at the Vavuniya LTTE political office in the government-held area.
