Sri Lankan Air Force Jet Bombs Tamil Rebel TargetSri Lankan air force jet bombed a separatist Tamil Tiger rebel target in north of the country for a second time since rebel attack Tuesday on a main airbase and adjoining international airport, the Defense Ministry said Sunday.The ministry said in a statement that the air force jet carried out the only bombing sortie because of the poor visibility against a target of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the coastal area of Chalai on Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, top navy officials said that two LTTE rebels killed themselves in Mannar, about 220 kilometers north of capital Colombo, when the explosive-laden jackets they were wearing exploded accidentally early Sunday. The two rebels had planned to attack a navy base near Mannar before dawn, the officials said. The LTTE rebels have been fighting against government forces since 1983 in the north and east of the country attempting to set up an independent Tamil homeland there. More than 64,000 people have died in the brutal ethnic war. |
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