15 perish from Saindamardu confrontation ... 2 serious

15 perish from Saindamardu confrontation ... 2 serious

9 am Update

15 persons died from the Amparai Samanthurai and Saindamardu areas, it was reported this morning. 

A police constable on traffic duty attached to Kalmunai police station happened to receive information about a suspicious crowd of persons in a house in Saindamardu. He has passed on this information to his senior officers. As such, police officers and officers of police special task force got into immediate action and when approaching the house concerned, gunshots were fired at police from the direction of that house and an explosion also was heard from within the house. Suicide bombers
inside the house were the victims themselves. No harm was done to the security officers. 

Subsequently, the police, police special task force and army have started a search in that area ans have inspected the house where the explosion was carried out. Three bodies of males suspected to have blasted themselves to death were found inside the house and other than that three dead bodies of three females and dead bodies of 6 small children and three dead bodies of suspected suicide bombers were located outside the house nearby all totalling 15 corpses were found. 

When security forces entered the said house, a woman seriously wounded and a small child were found and police took measures to despatch them to hospital. Search operations are still in progress. It is suspected that what could have been here were two leading stores containing weapons belonging to Thawheed Jamath Organisation. It is suspected that the three members of Thawheed Jamath group had committed suicide by themselves by setting off the bombs while the other terrorists would have died because of gunfire exchanged with security forces for close upon an hour. Attacks were made on the terrorists surrounding Sandamardu area and counter-attacks went on till last night. 

It was possible to find a large quantity of weapons from inside the store and T.N.T. explosives, gelagnite, a large quantity of nitrogen, close upon a lakh of ball bearings, detonators, suicide bomb apparel suits and a large number of drones and weapons fit enough to be used for a massive attack. Seven persons suspected as having links with Thawheed Jamath group were taken into custody at the spot where the arsenal was. It was revealed at investigations that the arsena concerned was in charge of a crowd of terrorist group members had been taken a part of this house. It was revealed that the crowd who had rented out that section of the house had disappeared after Easter Sunday attack. 

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11.15 pm

It is reported that a silence seem to pervade Kalmunai, Samanthurai, Chavalakade areas where an uproar was seen during evening hours today (26). Details and photos -- Click HERE

9.00 pm

Police media spokesman Mr. Ruwan Gunasekera says that curfew has been imposed immediately on areas such as Kalmunai, Samanthurai, Chavalakade where astate of commotion existed. 

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8.20 pm

 An exchange of fire has occured between a suspicious crowd of people and security forces during a search operation in Kalmunai and Saindamardu area. It is believed that there could be 3 or 6 terrorists lodging at that place. Police media spokesman, Mr. Ruwan Gunasekera says that the army, police special task force and security forces in this operations. 

What special task force said was that this battle flared on the occasion they wanted to cordon a place suspected to produce bomb outfits or batches. Evidence has been found suicide bomb outfits may have been prepared at this place. It is also reported that a suspicious van was exploded in Saindamaru area. The explosion has been effected before police intelligence received information regarding a suspicious van in the area. No casualties have been reported so far. 

Police say that according to a tip off received by state intelligence service, after notifying criminal information department and Amparai police division, this operations was launched and on that occasion several property or items were found inside a house in Samanthurai area. 

A video clip suspected to be a suspicious video alleged to have been released by suicide bombers of bomb attacks launched during the past few days with those appearing in it wearing an outfit similar to what they were wearing and a screen suspected as the screen behind that video, over 150 gelagnite sticks, about a lakh of ball bearings, a suspicious van, a drone camera, 1 laptop computer including several assets were found, police inform.