20 civilians, including 11 children, are killed and 14 others injured in a claymore mine attack of a bus near the Madhu shrine, in LTTE-controlled north-western Mannar district. The LTTE blamed the attack on the ‘Deep Penetration Unit (DPU)’ of the Sri Lanka military; the military denied any involvement.
Sources
‘School children killed’ in Mannar, BBC Sinhala, 29 January 2008; Civilian lives going cheap, Inter Press Service, 7 February 2008, 11 school children kiled in Sri Lanka, The Hindu, 30 January 2008
Quotations
“All the passengers in the bus were either schoolchildren or teachers returning from a sporting event. Among those killed were two teachers and the school principal. One of the teachers killed is a Catholic nun. The attack took place one km from the famous Madhu shrine on the Madhu Thadsanamaruthamanu road. The school children are from Thadsanamaruthamanu and Chinnappandivirichchan.” LTTE statement.
“Military Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara totally denied LTTE allegations that Sri Lanka Army deep penetration unit attacked a civilian school bus in the Madhu area. He stressed that there were no military teams operating in those areas. Mannar Bishop, Rev. Rayappu Joseph was quoted earlier as having said that several school childred had died in a claymore blast insite LTTE controlled areas in Mannar.” Government statement.
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