Attack on Pakistani ambassador to Sri Lanka explained

Attack on Pakistani Ambassador to Sri Lanka
Target:Bashir Wali Mohamed
Date:August 14, 2006
Type:Bombing attack
Fatalities:7
Motive:Unknown
Injuries:14
Perps: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (alleged)
Weapons:Explosives

On August 14, 2006, a convoy carrying the Pakistani High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Bashir Wali Mohamed, was attacked by a Claymore antipersonnel mine concealed within an auto rickshaw. The High Commissioner escaped unhurt, but seven people (including four Army commandoes) were killed and a further seventeen injured in the blast.[1]

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Sri Lankan government blamed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). High Commissioner Mohamed claimed that India had carried it out,[2] in order to intimidate Pakistan, which is one of the main suppliers of military equipment to the Sri Lankan government.[2] Pakistan had promised one shipload of the wherewithal every 10 days in coming months.

A Sri Lankan military spokesman said, "Definitely it's an LTTE attack to the Pakistan ambassador's car but they missed and the backup vehicle got caught." The Pakistani ambassador may be a target of the LTTE because Pakistan is a major backer of the Sri Lankan government.[3]

Several LTTE suspects were arrested following the attack.[4]

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lanka blast: Pak envoy safe, 7 killed . Rica Roy & Anisa Khan . August 14, 2006 . NDTV .
  2. Web site: The Pakistani muscle behind Colombo . https://web.archive.org/web/20061019075144/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/HI22Df01.html . unfit . October 19, 2006 . Sudha Ramachandran . September 22, 2006 . Asia Times.
  3. Book: Dozens killed in Sri Lanka blast. Simon Gardner. Reuters. August 14, 2006. March 4, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20080505033543/http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews. May 5, 2008. dead. mdy-all.
  4. http://wwwupdate.un.org/ga/sixth/63/Prot_Dipl_TEXT/2007SriLanka.pdf{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}