Q+A - Sri Lanka opposition backs ex-general for president
By Shihar Aneez
COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's main opposition said on Thursday it will back former army chief Sarath Fonseka's bid in a presidential poll, the most serious challenge to President Mahinda Rajapaksa's re-election campaign.
Fonseka, a key figure in the defeat this year of Tamil Tiger separatists after a 25-year war, has yet to formally announce his candidacy to challenge his former commander-in-chief.
Here are some questions and answers on Fonseka:
WHO IS SARATH FONSEKA?
A soldier from 1970, Fonseka was the army commander who spearheaded victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels in a 34-month campaign.
Known for his volatile temper and win-at-all-costs attitude on the battlefield, Fonseka was nearly killed in April 2006 by a rebel suicide bomber, but returned three months later to launch the campaign that defeated the separatists.
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