Colombo, Sep 19 (DPA) The Sri Lankan government Tuesday sent investigators to probe the massacre of 11 Muslim civilians in the eastern part of the country as Tamil rebels and government security forces traded allegations regarding the killing.

Defence spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella said circumstantial evidence suggested that rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) carried out the attack at Panama, Pothuvil.

But he added that the government was willing to carry out a full investigation into the incident.

The decision to send a team of investigators came after Muslim political leaders also called for a probe, citing allegations that there was a dispute between the villagers and police commandos in the area that led to the massacre.

In a separate development, air force jets bombed LTTE targets in the Batticaloa district, 240 km east of the capital, the defence spokesperson said.