23 killed in LTTE air strike in Anuradhapura

At least 12 Sri Lankan airmen and 20 rebels were killed in a daring air and ground attack early today by the Tamil Tigers on an air force base in Anuradhapura in north-central Sri Lanka.

This was the first time that Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had launched a ground and air strike simultaneously.

According to a spokesperson of the Sri Lankan Air Force, a group of LTTE rebels attacked the Anuradhapura base and launched the initial attack around 3.20 am (local time). A few minutes later, at least two LTTE light aircrafts bombed the base, destroying two MI-24 helicopters, military spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara said.

The LTTE aircraft is believed to have come from the northern Vavuniya direction, and dropped at least two bombs on the air force base.

A massive joint rescue operation was launched by the armed forces and the police to bring the situation under control.

LTTE military spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan told a pro-LTTE website, Tamilnet.com, that they had launched an air and ground attack on Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) air base in Anuradhapura in the early hours of Monday.

Anuradhapura is an ancient sacred Buddhist city attracting thousands of local and foreign tourist right throughout the year.

This is the fifth time that LTTE has carried out an air attack this year. The last attack was on April 28 in Colombo, targeting oil and gas supply stations.