Sri Lanka: Exchange of fire with militants, 15 dead

(Patria) – 15 people, including six children, lost their lives during an operation by Sri Lankan security forces when three suicide bombers detonated explosives, Sri Lankan police reported.

Three women and six children lost their lives in the explosions in a hideout of extremists discovered by Sri Lankan security forces near the town of Kalmunai.

An exchange of fire between the Sri Lankan army and suspected Islamist militants began on Friday evening south of the city of Batticaloa, where one of the Easter Sunday explosions occurred.

Army spokesperson Sumith Atapattu stated that the army was moving towards the hideout when three explosions and gunfire were heard. 'Soldiers returned fire and entered the hideout where they found a large cache of explosives,' the statement said.

Atapattu claims that the militants are members of the local Islamist group National Towheed Jama'at (NTJ), suspected of carrying out Sunday's attacks.

Bomb-making materials were found during searches of nearby houses.

So far, 76 people connected to the attacks have been arrested, some of them from Syria and Egypt.

The government claims that Sunday's attacks were carried out by 9 highly educated suicide bombers, one of whom was a woman.

The Muslim community of Sri Lanka lives in fear of retaliation, and its members are largely leaving their homes in search of safe shelter.