Sri Lanka bombs rebel base
2008-01-23 11:44
Colombo - Sri Lankan war planes bombed a suspected base of the top Tamil Tiger leader in the island's north on Wednesday as ground attacks killed at least two rebels, the defence ministry said on Wednesday.
Aircraft hit a base of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Iranamadu where the separatists have a clandestine airfield, the ministry said. It gave no details of casualties or damage.
Sri Lanka's military has already claimed either killing or wounding Tiger chieftain Velupillai Prabhakaran in previous air attacks inside rebel-held territory.
The guerrillas have made no comment, but released pictures of the Tiger leader at meetings with his fighters.
The latest air attack came as the defence ministry said two suspected Tiger rebels were shot dead in skirmishes just outside the guerrillas' de facto mini-state on Tuesday.
Since the start of this month, Sri Lanka's defence ministry has claimed government forces have killed 594 rebels against just 26 soldiers dead. The military's claims cannot be independently verified.