Colombo uses firebombs setting ablaze civilian targets in Vanni

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 February 2009, 11:30 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) have increasingly deployed incendiary bombs in several forms in recent attacks on Vanni civilians. A petroleum-derived liquid mixture is found used in SLAF bombardments. The same kind of bomb is also used in artillery and mortar barrage in addition to artillery-fired flying fireballs that ignite the bombed target. Recently, the makeshift hospital at Udaaiyaarkaddu was attacked with such bombs, as documented by a video, filmed from a building in the hospital.



In recent air attacks, the SLAF bombers have either deployed cluster bombs or fire-bombs, eyewitnesses say. Several litres of a thicker variant of petrol-like liquid is dropped together with the bombs causing immediate fire on the target.

Eyewitnesses who have survived from the attacks also report that they experienced severe breathing problems during the attack, which indicates that the bombs release a large amount of carbon monoxide, deoxygenating the air.

The SLA has deployed same kind of bombs in Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) and artillery barrage. Photographs of victims killed in several localities in Udaiyaarkaddu, Chuthanthirapuram, Theavipuram, Va'l'lipunam, Ira'naip-paalai and Puthukkudiyiruppu document the level of burn injuries caused to the victims.

Warning strong pictures: Click here for unedited photos that bear evidence to the use of combustible bombs that have set ablaze and killed several civilians in Vanni in recent times.

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