27 Slain in Raid on Mosque and Muslim Village in Sri Lanka

Suspected Tamil rebels raided a mosque and stormed a Muslim village Thursday, killing at least 27 people and setting fire to more than 100 homes and shops, police said.

It was the second attack by suspected Tamil rebels against Muslims since the slaying Saturday of a Tamil politician in eastern Sri Lanka, and the worst clash between the two minorities in a region heavily patrolled by Indian peacekeeping forces, police said.

The mostly Hindu Tamils are fighting for an independent state in the northern and eastern part of this island nation off the southern tip of India.

The raids on the mosque in Mallaiyakadu and the village of Sainamarithu, 30 miles south of the Eastern province capital of Batticaloa, were launched an hour after two rebels were killed in a battle with police in the area, they said.

After the police shoot-out, attackers stormed the mosque and opened fire at the worshipers, killing at least 10 people, police said. They then swept into Sainamarithu, firing at villagers, looting shops and setting more than 100 homes and stores ablaze, they said. At least 17 bodies were retrieved from the rubble.