Asia Pacific
12:38, 27-Apr-2019
Sri Lanka: 15 killed in shootout and blasts, ISIL claims responsibility
Updated
09:50, 28-Apr-2019
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ISIL claimed on Saturday that three of its members clashed with Sri Lankan police for several hours before detonating their explosive vests on them in the east coast city of Kalmunai late on Friday, the militant group's news agency Amaq said, without giving evidence for its claim.
At least 15 people, including six children, were killed when the shootout between troops and ISIL militants occurred in the Saindamarudu area in Kalmunai on Friday evening.
Most of the victims in the latest round of violence were killed in three bomb blasts that ripped apart the roof and one wall of the house, police said.
Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said that most of the victims were "likely were militants" who blew themselves up in suicide bombings. At least one civilian had been killed in the attack.
Friday's attack occurred six days after the fatal serial Easter blasts which claimed over 250 lives.
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Saturday banned the National Thawheed Jammath (NTJ) and another radical group suspected to be behind the Easter Sunday explosions.
Sirisena declared a conditional state of emergency last Tuesday to arrest all the suspected terrorists who were behind Sunday's attacks which targeted churches and luxury hotels.
The police said over 100 suspects had been arrested so far and a massive search operation was underway to detain more suspects, linked to the NTJ and other radical groups operating in the country.
President Sirisena said on Friday that there were about 140 people in Sri Lanka suspected to have links to the ISIL group and assured all would be arrested in the coming days.
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