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Sri Lankan army rejects allegations against recalled commander

A Sri Lankan army commander whom the UN has asked to be repatriated from a peacekeeping mission has not done anything wrong, the army has claimed.

“We have been informed that there was a request to recall the commander who is leading the UN peacekeeping contingent in Mali,” Sri Lankan military spokesperson Sumith Atapattu said.

“But it was only a verbal request. We will recall the Commander according to the formalities following an official request. If the UN does not want him there, we have to recall him.”

“However, we do not agree with the allegation. He has not done anything wrong. He has not committed any war crime. We will appeal and send him back,” he said.

The recalled commander Kalana Amunupure was second in command of an infantry which is alleged to have been involved in the shelling of UN sites and hospitals, in the killing of surrendees and in torture, during the final phase of the war in 2009.

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