Tamil rebels brought their secessionist war to the Sri Lankan capital Wednesday, bombing a hotel and fighting a pitched battle with the army. The mayhem left 15 dead and 105 wounded.
Rebels forced their way into the parking lot of the Galadari Hotel to set off a truck bomb, killing four security guards, said Maj. Gen. Srilal Veerasuriya, the army's deputy chief of staff.Three rebels and four civilians also died. An army commando was killed storming a government building where rebels holed up after the bombings.
The luxury hotel is across the street from executive offices that President Chandrika Kumaratunga rarely uses. She was at her home about a mile away when the blasts occurred.
Two explosions ripped through the hotel lot, destroying the ballroom. Automatic gunfire broke out shortly afterward, echoing for 20 minutes through the business district as rebels battled with police and soldiers.
It was the first major terrorist attack this year in Colombo, where security has been stepped up as the war in the north with the Tamil rebels intensified.