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| Sri Lanka |
| Suicide bomber kills 5 in Sri Lanka |
| 2008-12-28 |
| At least five people have been killed and several others injured in a suicide bomb blast outside the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo. The blast occurred early Sunday in Wattala town, a few miles (kilometers) from the capital, when a suicide bomber detonated explosives at a checkpoint near a market. The victims were members of the paramilitary Civil Defense Force (CDF). The death toll is expected to rise. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the finger of blame was quickly pointed at Tamil Tiger rebels, who have been fighting for an autonomous Tamil homeland in northern and eastern Sri Lanka since 1983. Hundreds of people have been killed in the violence. The suicide attack comes as the Sri Lankan troops are battling the rebels and advancing on several fronts in the northern part of the island. In recent months, Sri Lankan troops have pushed the Tigers out of the east of the country and have advanced rapidly into the north, vowing to defeat the rebels and dismantle their de-facto state in the north by the end of this year. |
| Posted by:Fred |