Sri Lankan Air Force Continues to Strike Tamil Rebel BaseSri Lankan Air Force jets continued air strikes against identified hideouts of the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in the north of the country for the third consecutive day on Wednesday, the Defense Ministry said.The air force carried out the air strikes against Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels who were engaged in reconstructing their affected bunkers and hideouts. The rebel bunkers in Pallai in Jaffna peninsula were destroyed, the Ministry said. The air force launched similar bombardments against LTTE rebel targets in the north and east of the country on Monday and Tuesday. The air force have intensified their air strikes against the LTTE rebels after the rebels launched a pre-dawn attack on the country's major airbase and its only international airport next door on July 24. A total of 14 military and civilian aircraft were damaged or destroyed and 14 Tamil rebels and seven military personnel were killed in the attack. 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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