45 injured in bomb blast in Colombo
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A bomb blast blamed on Tamil Tiger separatists wounded 45 people in Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, as renewed fighting in the embattled north killed 19 rebels and six soldiers, the military said.
Spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara accused the rebels of setting off the blast on a busy street in the heart of Colombo. “They are desperate because of defeats along the northern front lines and are targeting civilians,” he said.
The bomb exploded in a commercial area, tearing through a crowd of shoppers.
The bombing was the first in the capital since May 16, when a suicide attack killed 12 people, including eight police officers, and wounded 85.
On June 6, a bomb hit a crowded passenger bus just outside the capital, killing 21 people.
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