SLAF bombers attack Christian orphanage for girls

ICC Note: Caught in the crossfire of a civil war, it is unclear why a Christian orphanage was bombed in a ‘safety zone’ on Christmas day.

12/26/08 Sri Lanka (TamilNet) – Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers targetted ‘Karuna Nilayam’, a Christian center and center for orphaned and disabled girls located close to the A9 highway in Ki’linochchi town, at 4:30 p.m. on Christmas day, sources in Ki’linochchi said. The resident girls have been relocated to a different building and no one was injured in the attack, the adminstrators said.

The area was designated as a ‘safety zone,’ and administrators said they are confounded on why their institution became a target for the SLA.

Karuna Nilayam is managed by the Jaffna Catholic diocese.