Sri Lanka

Suicide bombing kills 15

Article published on the 2009-03-10 Latest update 2009-03-10 08:20 TU

Sri Lanka soldiers patrol the Puthukkudiyirippu area in Sri Lanka
(Credit: Reuters)

A suicide bomber killed 15 people and injured two government ministers at a mosque in the southern Sri Lankan city of Akuressa on Tuesday as government troops are currently in the process of trying to surpress the rebel group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The LTTE appear close to defeat after months of fierce fighting. Twenty people were wounded in the blast.

Cultural Services Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and Postal Services Minister Mahinda Wijesekera were wounded in the blast and Wijesekera is reportedly in critical condition.

The suicide bomber attacked the mosque during the celebrations for the Prophet Mohammed's birthday.

Sri Lanka's military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said it had been carried out by the LTTE.

Over the weekend, some 250 rebels were killed while defending a small area that they still hold, according to the defence ministry. The government announced Sunday that that their offensive against the Tamil Tigers had reached the "final phase". The Tamil Tigers have been waging an often-bloody war for a separate state since 1972.

Some 70,000 civilians are still trapped in a war zone, according to the government, but the United Nations estimates that there could actually be 200,000 civilians in the area.