LTTE aircraft bomb Lanka air base

FRESH ATTACK: Three people were killed and atleast 16 injured in the rebel attack.

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New Delhi: In a pre-dawn attack on Monday, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for the first time ever executed an air raid on Sri lankan Forces at the Sri Lankan Air Force base north of Colombo.

Three people were killed and atleast 16 injured when rebels used air power to bomb the Air Force base adjoining Colombo's international airport,

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) deployed aircraft for the first time in a combat mission to attack the military base, rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiriyan was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.

"This mission was undertaken to reduce the air capability of the Sri Lankan air force," he said.

The LTTE says the attack is in retaliation against frequent air raids by the Sri Lankan Air Force on their camps.

The rebels have warned that more raids will follow.

A senior official of the Defence Ministry of Sri Lanka, Laxman Hulugalle said that they had information about the LTTE having light aircraft.

“We had info about LTTE having light airscraft. But had no experience of an air attack. This is the first time that the LTTE has used light aircraft to attack SL forces. But they were targetting Mig jets at the Air Force base. The runway closed for one and a half hours but the airport was not affected,” Hulugalle said.

The government said the Bandaranaike international airport, which shares a boundary with the airbase, was not affected by the attack.

But Sri Lanka's foreign ministry spokesman Ravinatha Aryasinha informed that the airport was closed temporarily as a precaution.

"There is no damage to the international airport or the runway," Aryasinha was quoted as saying.

Sri Lankan air force officials say damage to the military facility was minimal.

(With inputs from PTI)