COLOMBO, Aug 12: Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was assassinated on Friday night by an unidentified sniper in the capital, military and hospital sources said.

Mr Kadirgamar, 73, was shot at his tightly-guarded private residence in Colombo, army chief Shantha Kottegoda told AFP.

“He was at his home when he was hit by a sniper,” Mr Kottegoda said. “He had just returned from an official function near his house when the attack took place.”

The veteran minister was rushed to the National Hospital, where four surgeons struggled for 70 minutes to save his life, hospital spokeswoman Pushpa Soysa told AFP.

Police sources said Mr Kadirgamar was believed to have been shot twice in the head, once in the throat and once in the body.—AFP