Sri Lankan Navy Personnel Killed in Suicide Bomb Attack

The Tamil Tiger rebels carried out a suicide bomb attack on the Sri Lankan Navy in the north central district of Sri Lanka, killing 69 personnel and injuring 60. The attack occurred near Habarana, approximately 173 km northeast of the capital Colombo, and is seen as a revenge attack by the terrorists on the Navy for inflicting successive defeats against their attempts to smuggle arms and explosives. The attack raises concerns about the safety of the proposed direct talks between the government and the LTTE, scheduled to take place soon.

Key Takeaways:

• 69 Sri Lankan Navy personnel were killed in the suicide bomb attack on Monday afternoon.
• The attack occurred near Habarana, 173 km northeast of Colombo, at a transit point of Navy personnel.
• The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was blamed for the attack, which is seen as a revenge attack for the Navy's success in preventing arms and explosives smuggling.
• 60 personnel were injured in the attack and were rushed to hospitals in Dambulla and Matale.
• The attack is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement, according to the Media Center for National Security.
• The attack raises concerns about the safety of the proposed direct talks between the government and the LTTE.
• The Sri Lankan ethnic conflict has resulted in over 64,000 deaths since the 1980s, and more than 2,000 lives have been lost since the end of 2005.

Statistics:

• 69 Sri Lankan Navy personnel killed in the suicide bomb attack.
• 60 personnel injured in the attack.
• More than 64,000 deaths in the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict from the 1980s to 2002.
• More than 2,000 lives lost in Sri Lanka's separatist armed conflict since the end of 2005.

Sources:

• Xinhua, "About 69 Sri Lankan Navy personnel killed in suicide bomb attack," October 16, 2006 (COMTEX).