Small Wars Journal

A Week Since Easter Bombings in Sri Lanka, ISIS Claims 3 More Attackers

Sun, 04/28/2019 - 3:22pm

A Week Since Easter Bombings in Sri Lanka, ISIS Claims 3 More Attackers by Mujib Mashal and Hannah Beech – New York Times

As Sri Lanka marked a week since the bombings that killed more than 250 people on Easter Sunday, the Islamic State group said that three of its fighters had blown themselves up during a raid by security forces on their hide-out in the east of the country.

 

Sri Lanka remained on high alert as raids continued to round up people suspected of having involvement in the attacks on churches and hotels last week. The archbishop of Colombo, the capital, who had suspended church services for security reasons, offered a televised Sunday Mass from his home.

 

Despite being closed and cordoned off, St. Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo, one of the churches that was bombed, still drew dozens of worshipers on Sunday. They gathered outside singing hymns and lighting candles behind several layers of barricades. Police officers and soldiers dotted the area, with commandos keeping watch from the tallest buildings.

 

The military said surveillance aircrafts were also keeping a watch on the main airports, and naval patrols in the Indian Ocean had increased their scrutiny of the northern and eastern waters around the island…

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