Lanka govt committed to dispelling 'darkness of religious terrorism': Mahinda Rajapaksa

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday said his government is committed to dispelling "darkness of religious terrorism" and restoring security and peace in country, as Christians celebrated Christmas amidst unprecedented security arrangements across island nation.

Christmas services in churches across country were held amidst heavy security arrangements due to situation arising out of Easter Sunday bombings in which nearly 270 people were killed in coordinated suicide attacks on three churches and three luxury hotels on April 21.

Conveying his Christmas wishes to nation, Rajapaksa requested all Christians in Sri Lanka to exercise ir freedom of worship, without allowing extremist forces to succeed in suppressing that freedom, Colombo P reported.

He assured his government's commitment to "task of dispelling darkness of religious terrorism" and to restore security and peace in country.

He said Christians of Sri Lanka became deliberate targets of religious fanatics who do t believe in religious freedom of ors, daily said.

"This is symbolic of s plight that our morland has been plunged into as a result of divisive and narrow-minded politics based on ethnicity and religion," he said.

Buddhist-majority nation was about to mark a dece since ending a 37-year-long Tamil separatist war when nine suicide bombers from a local extremist group struck three churches and three luxury hotels in Colombo on Easter.