The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for three men who blew themselves up in clashes with Sri Lankan police, the group said in a statement.
The men set off explosives after an hour-long gun battle with police Saturday, inside what was believed to be a jihadist hideout near the eastern town of Kalmunai, in the latest fallout from the Easter attacks.
In a statement posted Saturday by Daesh (ISIS) propaganda unit, Amaq News Agency, it said three of its soldiers detonated their bombs after a fight with police.
The statement said the men "clashed with them (Sri Lankan police) with automatic weapons, and after exhausting their ammunition, detonated on them their explosive belts."
Fifteen people died in the clashes, police said, including three women and six children.
In this picture taken on April 26, 2019, security personnel display seized items after they raid what believed to be an Islamist safe house in the eastern town of Kalmunai (STRINGER / AFP)
The violence came six days after the Easter Day bombings on three churches and three luxury hotels which killed at least 253 people and injured 500.
Security forces armed with emergency powers have stepped up search operations for Islamic extremists since the bombings.
Kalmunai is in the same region as the home town of the terrorist Zahran Hashim who founded the group accused of staging the attacks.
While the ISIS has claimed the death of 17 "disbelievers" in the suicide attack, the Lankan authorities have confirmed that the total death toll is 15, including those from the minority community.
A week after the devastating terror attack, Sri Lanka continues to remain on the edge, with emergency imposed across the nation.
Mass across all churches were cancelled in the island nation today due to the threat posed by extremists. Similarly, restrictions were imposed on Friday congregational prayers for Muslims this week as authorities feared a retaliatory attack.
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