COLOMBO, Sept 18, 2006 (AFP) - Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels killed 11 Muslim men in eastern Sri Lanka, where their mutilated bodies were found Monday, the defence ministry said.

The victims were labourers working on an irrigation project in Ampara district, a ministry spokesman said, adding that one man escaped with injuries and had been admitted to hospital.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have previously been accused of killing members of the Muslim community in the volatile multi-ethnic east of the island.

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