East Sri Lanka on edge after Easter bombers linked to region
Police and military checkpoints dot the coastal roads, with people emptying out of buses to present their identity papers. On streets lined with shuttered shops, police officers with assault rifles look warily at passers-by. Whispers persist about the leader of the IS-pledged militant group, which preached the promise of heaven through the killing of others both here and online.
Sri Lanka's eastern coast was a battleground in the island nation's 26-year civil war with the Tamil Tiger rebels, a group of secular nationalists who launched over 130 suicide bombings themselves. The war ultimately ended in 2009 with the government crushing the Tigers, with some observers believing that tens of thousands of Tamils died in the last few months of fighting alone.
Rizwan and the other men fled and found two traffic police officers, who then started walking toward the house. The militants opened fire, sparking the confrontation, Rizwan said. Those inside later detonated suicide vests, killing themselves and others. Inside the home, lined notebooks had a child's shaky Arabic calligraphy. Police also laid out white linen women's dresses recovered from inside, similar to those worn by Buddhists when they go to temple. Investigators spoke softly to each other, wondering if that meant the militants planned to expand their targets beyond Christian churches.
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