Sri Lanka: law enforcement assault on targets linked to Easter attack

Sri Lankan police and soldiers are still present on the scene, the assault is still fresh. We are in Sainthamaruthu, 45 km south of the site of the attack on Easter, which marked Sri Lanka.

15 dead

On the night of Friday to Saturday, Sri Lankan authorities clashed with jihadists suspected of being linked to the attack on churches and hotels, which left more than 250 dead and several hundred injured last Sunday.

When the police arrived, three men blew themselves up.

A woman and a child, present on the site or nearby, were injured and evacuated. Fifteen people, including six children and the three suicide bombers, died in the assault.

Other “still possible” attacks

A week after the attack, officially claimed by the Islamic State group, the Sri Lankan authorities warned that other attacks were possible.

Last night’s bloody clash came after authorities had already seized dozens of ISIS explosives sticks, weapons and flags from another suspicious hideout nearby.

A sign of the threat to this predominantly Buddhist country, the US State Department is asking US citizens not to go to Sri Lanka.

The authorities are still looking for 140 individuals in the country, suspected of having links with the Islamic State organization.

Admin Pitisara

See author's posts