AMPARA, Sri Lanka (AP) — Militants linked to Easter suicide
bombings opened fire and set off explosives during a raid by Sri Lankan
security forces on a house in the country’s east, leaving behind a grisly
discovery Saturday: 15 bodies, including six children.
The gunbattle that began Friday night and the carnage that
followed come amid widespread fear of more attacks as officials hunt for
militants with explosives believed to still be at large after the coordinated
bombings of churches and luxury hotels that killed more than 250 people last
weekend.
Raids and police curfews have shut down areas of eastern Sri
Lanka, and Catholic leaders have canceled Sunday Masses indefinitely. Officials
also urged Muslims to stay home for prayers in an extraordinary call by the
clergy to curtail worship.
The U.S. Department of State, citing terror groups plotting
more possible attacks, urged Americans to reconsider travel to Sri Lanka and
ordered the school-age children of government workers to leave the country. The
U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka has previously warned the public to stay away from
places of worship over the weekend, a stark alert underlining that authorities
believe some attackers remain at large.
The gunfight Friday came after police tipped off soldiers
about a suspected safe house near the town of Sammanthurai in Sri Lanka’s
Ampara District, where authorities said the militants set off three explosions
and opened fire.
Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said some of the dead
likely were militants who blew themselves up in suicide bombings. Earlier, the
military said at least one civilian had been killed in the attack.
Source : CBN News
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