A Tamil rebel suicide bomber blew himself up in a northern town in Sri Lanka, killing a civilian and injuring nine other persons, most of them security personnel and policemen, a military spokesman said Sunday, reported dpa.
The attack took place in the town of Vavuniya, 240 kilometres north of the capital Colombo on Sunday evening.
The civilian killed was a taxi driver. The nine injured included four policemen, three soldiers and two civilians.
The attack took place at the town's main bus stand and came as government troops were closing in on a rebel stronghold in another northern Sri Lanka town.
Kilinochchi, 380 kilometrs north of Colombo, where rebels were maintaining their administration, was on the verge of collapse as most civilians had fled and rebels were also moving out, reports said.
Earlier, Sri Lankan Army commander Lieutenant-General Sarath Fonseka said troops were just four kilometers outside the town.