COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, February 09, SPA -- A suspected rebel suicide bomber killed 20 soldiers and eight civilians when she blewherself up Monday at a facility where government forceswere processing Sri Lankans fleeing the northern war zone,the military said. The bombing was the first major suicide attack in SriLanka in more than a month and led to fears the Tamil Tigerseparatists _ boxed in by the military and on the verge ofdefeat _ will increasingly turn to guerrilla warfare intheir battle against government forces. Following a string of victories, the military backed therebels into a small strip of land on the northeasterncoast, where the Red Cross estimates 250,000 civilians arealso trapped, according to a report of Associated Press. On Monday morning, more than 800 civilians had crossed thefront lines and were being searched by soldiers beforebeing sent to camps farther south, military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said. When the attacker was frisked, she set off the bomb shewas wearing, killing 28 people, he said. The blast alsowounded 24 troops and 40 civilians, he said.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/633948