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Colombo: Sri Lanka will press on with a military campaign against Tamil Tiger rebels, President Mahinda Rajapakse said yesterday, vowing not to be intimidated by bombings in the capital blamed on the rebels in recent weeks.
At least nine people were killed and 73 wounded when a bomb exploded on a train in Colombo on Monday, an attack blamed on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
"My Government and I are committed to defeating terrorism. No one should have expectations that there will be a let-up in the battle against terrorism because of the frenzied attacks by the LTTE. I will leave no room for terrorism in this country," Rajapakse said in a statement.
The attack came as the military wages an offensive to recapture the Tigers' northern stronghold after evicting them from jungles in the east.
"It was clear that, in the face of defeat, the LTTE stepped up attacks targeting innocent civilians. This is the reality that can be seen from these savage attacks," Rajapakse said.
Defence analysts warned there could be more attacks as the Tigers come under pressure in the north.
"Although the Tigers are suffering heavy losses in the north, they retain the ability to conduct terrorist attacks elsewhere in the country, something which may be demonstrated in the east of the country in the coming weeks," said John Drake, an intelligence analyst at AKE Group, a London-based security and political risk management firm.
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