Sri Lanka says 12 army officers sacked

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president on Monday sacked 12 senior military officers over what one army source said were fears of a coup after last week’s presidential elections.

They included three senior major generals and two brigadiers accused of interfering in politics during campaigning for January 26 election, in which President Mahinda Rajapakse beat a former army general, the source said.

The defence ministry in a statement confirmed that an undisclosed number of senior officers were “sent on compulsory retirement” because they were considered a “threat to national security”.