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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Sri Lanka bomber 'kills dozens' | Sri Lanka bomber 'kills dozens' |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A female Tamil Tiger rebel has blown herself up, killing 28 people and injuring dozens more in the north-east, the Sri Lankan military says. | A female Tamil Tiger rebel has blown herself up, killing 28 people and injuring dozens more in the north-east, the Sri Lankan military says. |
| A military spokesman told the BBC the woman blew herself up as she travelled with civilians fleeing fighting. | A military spokesman told the BBC the woman blew herself up as she travelled with civilians fleeing fighting. |
| He said 20 of those killed in the attack in the Vishwamadu area of Mullaitivu district were soldiers. The rebels have made no comment yet. | He said 20 of those killed in the attack in the Vishwamadu area of Mullaitivu district were soldiers. The rebels have made no comment yet. |
| Thousands of civilians have fled the fighting over the past few days. | Thousands of civilians have fled the fighting over the past few days. |
| Evacuated | Evacuated |
| Military spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara told the BBC: "[The civilians] were coming to an area where there were security forces. A woman in that group blew herself up when she was being checked by female soldiers." | Military spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara told the BBC: "[The civilians] were coming to an area where there were security forces. A woman in that group blew herself up when she was being checked by female soldiers." |
| See map of the region | See map of the region |
| Brig Nanayakkara said 20 soldiers, including three women, were killed along with eight civilians. About 50 troops and 40 civilians, mostly women and children, were hurt, he said. | Brig Nanayakkara said 20 soldiers, including three women, were killed along with eight civilians. About 50 troops and 40 civilians, mostly women and children, were hurt, he said. |
| MAJOR ATTACKS Oct 08: Blast kills 27 including former general in AnuradhapuraApr 08: Blast kills 24 in ColomboJun 06: Gen Parami Kulatunga killed in attack on his convoyJun 06: More than 60 killed in a bomb attack on a passenger busApr 06: Army chief Sanath Fonseka seriously injured in attack on his HQAug 05: Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar shot dead in his houseJul 01: Attack on Colombo airport kills 18 and destroys planesDec 99: President Kumaratunga wounded in failed assassination attempt The injured, Brig Nanayakkara said, were being evacuated to hospitals in the area. | MAJOR ATTACKS Oct 08: Blast kills 27 including former general in AnuradhapuraApr 08: Blast kills 24 in ColomboJun 06: Gen Parami Kulatunga killed in attack on his convoyJun 06: More than 60 killed in a bomb attack on a passenger busApr 06: Army chief Sanath Fonseka seriously injured in attack on his HQAug 05: Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar shot dead in his houseJul 01: Attack on Colombo airport kills 18 and destroys planesDec 99: President Kumaratunga wounded in failed assassination attempt The injured, Brig Nanayakkara said, were being evacuated to hospitals in the area. |
| State television showed footage of the bodies of civilians lying on bloodstained ground in Vishwamadu. | State television showed footage of the bodies of civilians lying on bloodstained ground in Vishwamadu. |
| The United Nations said it deplored the attack. Resident coordinator Neil Buhne said: "It's a blow for people who have suffered so much." | The United Nations said it deplored the attack. Resident coordinator Neil Buhne said: "It's a blow for people who have suffered so much." |
| A UN statement reiterated that "civilians must be distinguished from combatants, and protected from the fighting", and called once again on the rebels to separate their forces from civilians under their control. | |
| The US also condemned the attack. An embassy statement said it was an "apparent effort by the [Tamil Tigers] to discourage Tamils from leaving the conflict area". | The US also condemned the attack. An embassy statement said it was an "apparent effort by the [Tamil Tigers] to discourage Tamils from leaving the conflict area". |
| The rebels have made no comment but on Sunday the pro-rebel TamilNet web site again accused the army of firing shells into civilian zones, killing 80 and wounding 200. | The rebels have made no comment but on Sunday the pro-rebel TamilNet web site again accused the army of firing shells into civilian zones, killing 80 and wounding 200. |
| Independent journalists cannot travel to the war zone so information cannot be verified. | Independent journalists cannot travel to the war zone so information cannot be verified. |
| The rebel-held enclave is coming under sustained pressure from the army. | The rebel-held enclave is coming under sustained pressure from the army. |
| Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has called on the Tamil Tigers to let thousands more civilians leave and then unconditionally surrender. | Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has called on the Tamil Tigers to let thousands more civilians leave and then unconditionally surrender. |
| Aid agencies have expressed grave concern for the more than 200,000 civilians believed trapped. | Aid agencies have expressed grave concern for the more than 200,000 civilians believed trapped. |
| The government has accused the rebels of preventing non-combatants from leaving and using them as human shields. | The government has accused the rebels of preventing non-combatants from leaving and using them as human shields. |
| But the Tigers say the civilians are staying in the enclave because they fear the army. | But the Tigers say the civilians are staying in the enclave because they fear the army. |
| The rebels started fighting in the 1970s for a separate state for Tamils in the north and east. | The rebels started fighting in the 1970s for a separate state for Tamils in the north and east. |
| The military has made sustained gains in recent weeks and the government has rejected international calls for a ceasefire, demanding the rebels lay down their arms. | The military has made sustained gains in recent weeks and the government has rejected international calls for a ceasefire, demanding the rebels lay down their arms. |
| The Tigers have said they will not do so until they have a "guarantee of living with freedom and dignity and sovereignty". | The Tigers have said they will not do so until they have a "guarantee of living with freedom and dignity and sovereignty". |
| MAP OF THE REGION Click here to return | MAP OF THE REGION Click here to return |