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Project staff and children safe after aerial attack on Sri Lankan capitol from Tamil Tiger rebels.
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2/25/2009
The capitol city of Sri Lanka, Colombo, came under attack by Tamil Tiger rebels on the evening of Friday, Feb. 20. The surprise attack came from two airplanes which slipped through military surveillance and managed to drop one improvised bomb missing its target but slamming into downtown offices. Before the planes were finally destroyed, two people were killed and 45 injured.
The regional staff overseeing all projects in Sri Lanka confirmed shortly after the attack that Mission of Mercy was not affected in any way by the attack. Mission of Mercy operates four projects in and around Colombo, Sri Lanka. Despite a loss of power and a chilling aerial display of tracer fire, no projects were within range of the violence. This includes the staff who diligently run daily operations, the children who attend the centers, and all buildings owned by Mission of Mercy.
Sri Lanka is no stranger to rebel attack. For close to 25 years the Tamil Tigers have fought to bring independence for the ethnic Tamil people of Sri Lanka using guerilla warfare to press the issue with the national government. It is widely viewed that the government has gained an upper hand in recent months and is effectively disabling the strongholds of rebel outposts. Although cultural and religious rifts remain, the tiny island nation is presented with an opportunity to put large scale conflict behind itself and move forward united.
To learn more about the attack on Sri Lanka, visit the published article by the BBC at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7902392.stm
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