According to police, three people were killed in a roadside bomb attack in northern Sri Lanka on Monday.

The attack occurred near the front-line with Tamil Tiger rebels and targeted a truck which carried explosives. Fortunately the explosive inside the vehicle didn’t explode.

Police blamed the Tamil rebels for the attack.

According to CNN, a soldier, a civilian and a member of the Home Guard Service were the victims and three other people were injured.

Police said that the bombs were put on either side of a road in Vavuniya and went off just as the truck was escorted by soldiers.

The attack occurred just as Yasushi Akashi, the Japanese peace envoy, was scheduled to meet the government officials.

Ever since the government announced that is calling off the truce with the rebels, attacks have increased in the island.

The 2002 truce will go off Wednesday, January 16 and Sri Lanka refused the offer made by the rebels to restore the ceasefire.

The government pledged that this year it will destroy the rebels.

Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said that the rebels targeted a vehicle which was carrying soldiers and civilians.

He said: “This is definitely by the Tamil Tiger rebels,” BBC News reports.

Countries like Japan, Norway, the U.S. and the E.U, which offer aid to Sri Lanka, urged the government to come to a settlement with the rebels.

Akashi will be the first foreign peace mediator to visit the island since the offer to ceasefire from the rebels was rejected by the government. The government believes that the only reason rebels have called for a ceasefire is the “unleash terror activities.”

Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka, Sri Lanka's army commander, said that he wants to get rid of the rebels by the time he leaves office.

The rebels declared that they are ready for a war.