Troops rescue outgoing Sri Lanka PM as houses torched in deadly night of unrest

Sri Lankan troops have conducted a dramatic pre-dawn operation to rescue the prime minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, firing warning shots in the air to disperse thousands of anti-government protesters who had stormed his official residence in Colombo.

Protesters who forced their way into the capital’s “Temple Trees” residence attempted to storm the main two-storey building where Mahinda Rajapaksa was holed up with his family. The president declared a state of emergency over the weekend, giving sweeping powers of arrest to the military, as protests demanding his resignation escalated.

Protesters gathered around the airports and set up checkpoints to make sure that none of the politicians from the ruling party attempted to flee Sri Lanka. Namal Rajapaksa, a son of the outgoing prime minister, said the family had no intention of leaving. Protesters have been calling for both members of Sri Lanka’s powerful Rajapaksa political dynasty to be removed from office, accusing them of financial impropriety and corruption, but Gotabaya Rajapaksa has repeatedly said he will not resign as president.

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