Islamic State takes responsibility for attack in Kalmunai town during police raids

As per a tweet posted by Rita Katz, Director of SITE Intelligence Group, "Breaking: Just 5 days after the deadly Easter Day #SriLankaAttacks , #ISIS claims another attack in the country, killing 17 #SriLankan Policemen in clash and suicide bombings in #Kalmunai & issued photos of the 2 attacker."

In a major event since the Island Nation was hit by eight blasts on Easter Sunday, the attackers set off explosives after an hour-long gun battle with police on Saturday while they were conduction raid in Kalmunai.

The place where the raid was conducted was believed to be a jihadist hideout, media reports said.

A total of 15 bodies including women children have been recovered from the site of explosions at Sainthamaruthu, Kalmunai, news.lk reported.

The Police Spokesman told the government-run news portalthat the bodies of 6 males, 3 females and 6 children have been discovered at the house where the blasts occurred last night.

As per the news portal, President Maithripala Sirisena using the power vested in him, under Emergency Regulations No. 01 of 2019, has taken steps to ban National Thawheed Jammath (NTJ) and Jamathei Millathu Ibraheem (JMI) of Sri Lanka, the President’s Media Unit said yesterday.

As a result, all activities of both organisations and their property will be frozen under government regulations, it said.

The Islamic State had claimed responsibility for the Easter Sunday attack as well that had left 253 people killed.