A bomb and shooting attack blamed on Tamil separatists ripped through a packed civilian bus Wednesday, killing 26 people in southeastern Sri Lanka as the government officially withdrew from a tattered cease-fire with the rebels.Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said it was clear the rebels — accused of killing two more people as they retreated into the bush — were behind the assault, the latest in a string of recent attacks in government-held territory.
“There are no other groups operating in the area,” he said.
Spokesmen for the rebels could not immediately be reached for comment. However, the group, listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and European Union, routinely denies responsibility for such attacks.
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