COLOMBO – A suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber killed 14 people and wounded 35, including Sri Lanka’s telecommunications minister, during a Muslim festival in the island’s south yesterday.
The blast happened in front of a mosque in Godapitiya in Matara district, about 160km (99 miles)south of the capital, Colombo, during a festival to celebrate the birthday of the prophet Muhammad.
“Six ministers were there and terrorists used this opportunity to target us. Only one minister, Mahinda Wijesekara, got injured,” oil resources minister AHM Fowzie said. Mr Wijesekara is minister for telecommunications.
“Around 35 injured had been admitted to hospital and among them four are seriously injured,” Matara hospital’s director, Aruna Jayasekara, said. Mr Wijesekara was in the intensive care unit and was later flown to Colombo.
The government called the attack “another desperate act” by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). “The attack reaffirms the fact that the LTTE is not only a ruthless terrorist outfit but also one which has no regard or respect for religion. This is an attack that deliberately targeted the Muslim community,” it said in a statement.
The LTTE has previously attacked Muslims, and in 1990 killed more than 140 at mosques in eastern Sri Lanka during Friday prayers.
The LTTE could not be reached for comment .
The Sri Lankan military has cornered the LTTE in about 45sq km (17.4 square miles) of the northeastern coast and is confident of defeating them as a conventional force soon. But the Tigers have always had the capacity to strike far from the warzone using unconventional tactics, and analysts expect this to continue. – (Reuters)