Article 1.2 of the Ceasefire Agreement clearly states “Neither Party shall engage in any offensive military operation”, SLMM said in a statement.

The attacks -- which caused thousands to flee their homes -- came in retaliation to a suicide bombing in the capital, Colombo, on Tuesday.

The SLMM says it would like to urge the Government of Sri Lanka to refrain from such operations as they can jeopardise the Ceasefire further and will only add fuel to the conflict, it added.

The SLMM said it would like to stress that it is inexcusable to place military or political targets amongst the civilian population close to schools and private houses.

Although the situation has calmed down in the last couple of days, the SLMM said it is still worrying to see that claymore mine attacks and killings of civilians and army personnel continue.

The LTTE must seize all their military activities and attacks on Government forces, it said.

"We also fear that Government Security forces have, in the North and the East, been involved in extrajudicial killings of civilians. This conviction is based on our observation and inquiries on the ground.", the SLMM said.

This violence must stop immediately if the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE are to make any progress in returning to the negotiation table, the statement further said.