Sri Lanka troops demolish main protest camp; commandos wielding weapons charge at protesters

A demonstrators interacts with Police special task force personnel (R) standing guard while blocking a road as demonstrators take part in a protest march against Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe towards the Presidential secretariat office in Colombo on July 22, 2022. Sri Lankan security forces demolished the main anti-government protest camp in the capital, evicting activists in a pre-dawn assault on July 22 that raised international concern for dissent under the new pro-West president. - AFP

COLOMBO, July 22, 2022 (AFP): Sri Lankan security forces demolished the main anti-government protest camp in the capital on Friday night, evicting activists in a pre-dawn assault that raised international concern for dissent under the crisis-wracked country's new pro-Western president.

Troops and police Special Task Force commandos wielding batons and armed with automatic assault rifles charged on people blockading the sea-front Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.