Suicide bombing in Sri Lanka
Suicide bombing in Sri Lanka
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Tuesday, 25, Apr 2006 10:51
A suicide bomb attack has rocked the Sri Lankan army's headquarters in the country's capital Colombo.
At least eight people were killed in the attack, with many others injured including army chief, Sarath Fonseka, the police said.
Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka has had emergency surgery in Colombo and is said to be stable after suffering abdominal injuries.
An army spokesman said that the suicide bomber was a woman who blew herself up near the army hospital.
"A suicide bomb went off near the army hospital aimed at the army commander's vehicle," the spokesman told the Reuters news agency.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing but Tamil Tiger insurgents frequently use suicide bombers in their attacks.
Negotiations between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers, who are campaigning to secure a separate Tamil homeland, were abandoned last week after the rebels refused to take part in planned peace talks in Switzerland.
Violence has escalated in Sri Lanka in recent weeks, with reports suggesting that over 100 people have been killed since the first week of April, marking the most bloody period since the government and rebels signed a fragile truce in 2002 after two decades of conflict.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels want to secure a homeland for minority Tamils in Sri Lanka's north and east regions.