Female suicide bomber kills 24 in Sri Lanka

[oberliner]

Source: AP

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – A suspected rebel suicide bomber killed 24 people Monday when she blew herself up among a group of soldiers searching civilians fleeing Sri Lanka's northern war zone, the military said.

The bombing was the first major suicide attack in Sri Lanka in more than a month and led to fears the Tamil Tiger separatists — boxed in by the military and on the verge of defeat — will increasingly turn to guerrilla warfare in their battle against government forces.

Following a string of victories, the military backed the rebels into a small strip of land on the northeastern coast, where the Red Cross estimates 250,000 civilians are also trapped.

The military has accused the rebels of holding the civilians as human shields and called for noncombatants to flee to government-controlled areas. The rebels have accused the government of indiscriminately shelling the war zone, leading to increasing civilian casualties.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090209/ap_on_re_as/as_sri_lanka_civil_war

[bemildred]

1. Yep, the "Birds of Paradise" will be back, now that total victory has been achieved. nt

[marshall]

2. Was she raped into submission?

I wonder if she was one of the women who were shamed into this activity by being raped.

[Odin2005]

4. Wrong country.

Sri Lankans are Buddhists and Hindus.

[marshall]

5. Aren't those also "religions of peace"?

What's good for the goose....

[oberliner]

6. Tamils are not Buddhist

Most are Hindu - some are Muslim or Christian.

[karynnj]

7. The Muslim Tamils are not aligned with the Tamil Tigers

They were actually kicked out of Tiger controlled areas, even though many were from families that lived in those areas from the 14th century - some a long time ago and others, still in refugee camps, more recently.

[bemildred]

8. LTTE are Marxists, last time I heard.

The Muslims in Sri Lanka would just like to stay out of the way.

[oberliner]

9. That's putting in mildly

The LTTE has been pretty brutal with the Muslim Tamlis.

[karynnj]

11. I did not want to overstate anything - as just that - which is absolutely true

was sufficient to make the point. As someone who spent 4 months in Sri Lanka on a study abroad progam told me - the Tamil Tigers even killed many rival Tamil leaders. They have not even treated their own people well.

[Odin2005]

3. Wasn't it these guys that invented sucide bombing back in the 70s?

It doesn't surprise me one bit that they are using civilians as human shields. It seems like rebel groups, no matter how noble their intentions, inevitably succumb to the temptation to use immoral means towards legitimate ends.

[4dsc]

10. Ignoring Tamil genocide I see

I see most of you Sri Lankan supporters are ignoring the daily killing of Tamil's by Sri Lanka security forces throughout the Tamil regions..