Monday Mar 26, 2007
COLOMBO (AFP) - Tamil Tiger rebels carried out their first ever air raid Monday, attacking a military base on a daring night-time mission that forced the temporary closure of Sri Lanka's international airport.

At least three airmen were killed and 16 others wounded in the raid on the Katunayake airbase next to the airport north of Colombo, officials said.

A spokesman for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) warned of more attacks after the raid, which follows days of intense battles in the north and east of Sri Lanka that have forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee.

The Tigers were known to possess light fixed-wing aircraft and an airfield in the rebel-held northern Wanni region, but they had not used planes before in a combat mission.

The Bandaranaike international airport was not damaged but authorities temporarily shut it down as a precaution, reopening it after nearly three hours.

Aviation officials said that at least four inbound flights were diverted to India's southern city of Chennai as authorities sought to bring the situation at the base under control.

"One of the LTTE aircraft had flown over the airbase and dropped some explosive items," airforce spokesman Ajantha Silva said, adding that damage to the military facility was "minor."

Tiger spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiriyan warned of more attacks in the group's struggle for an independent homeland for Sri Lanka's Tamil minority.

"This mission was undertaken to reduce the air capability of the Sri Lankan airforce," he told AFP, adding: "We will undertake similar missions to prevent the airforce bombing civilians."

Military sources said an unidentified aircraft was spotted on radar in the island's north about 40 minutes before the attack.

At least four explosions were heard from the direction of the base, local residents said.

The defence ministry said no fighter aircraft were damaged, but two bombs hit the airforce's aeronautical engineering department. Two parked helicopters were also damaged.

Sri Lanka's foreign ministry spokesman Ravinatha Aryasinha said operations at the airport were not affected.

"There is no damage to the international airport or the runway," Aryasinha said. "Flights were suspended only as a precautionary measure."

Passengers on board flights ready to take off were asked to disembark after the airport was shut and military warplanes took off to search for the enemy, officials said.

Roads leading to the airport were closed and people trying to catch flights out of the country were turned back by police, residents said. The roads later reopened once the airport was back up and running.

Motorists and residents said they heard gunfire and several blasts near the international airport, 35 kilometres (20 miles) north of Colombo, triggering fears of a repeat of a deadly July 2001 attack on the base.

Tiger rebels infiltrated the base on July 24, 2001, destroying more than a dozen military planes before attacking six civilian jets at the international airport. They then detonated explosives strapped to their bodies.

Around 20 people were killed. Passengers at the international airport were not affected, but it has remained on alert ever since.

There are severe restrictions on the number of people allowed inside the terminal buildings. Huge walls were built around the terminals and the control towers to shield against impact from car bomb attacks, while large numbers of security personnel were stationed along the approach roads.

The LTTE has been waging a 35-year campaign for an independent homeland in this majority Sinhalese nation. More than 4,000 people have been killed in a wave of fighting since December 2005, despite a February 2002 truce.

The LTTE also operates a sea-going wing known as the Sea Tigers. The rebel "navy" is a rarity among the world's guerrilla forces.

Source: AFP
Author: Amal Jayasinghe