LTTE supremo injured in Sri Lankan air raid

DOWN BUT NOT OUT: It is not clear how badly Prabhakaran is injured and there has been no reaction from LTTE.

ibnlive.com is on mobile now. Read news, watch videos
be a Citizen Journalist. Log on to m.ibnlive.com NOW!

Related Stories

Top Headlines

Top Videos

Most Popular

• Pranab has promises to keep in Budget of hope 

• Budget and you: How policies impact your life | Secrecy Cordon around the Budget 

• 30 feared dead in explosion at firework factories in MP 

• Youth shot dead by cops had 26 injury marks 

• Varun fears threat to life; Maneka slams Govt 

• CNN-IBN debate: Homosexuality vs Indian morality 

• CPI-M Central Committee to act to curb Kerala infights 

• Kargil victory was certain: ex-army chief | Pay Tribute 

• British Islamic group plans coup in Pakistan: report 

• Scrap EVMs, let's go back to ballot, says Advani 

• Pranab has promises to keep in Budget of hope 

• Youth shot dead by cops had 26 injury marks 

• Kargil victory was certain: ex-army chief 

• Bollywood stars sizzle at the IIFA fiesta 

• IBNFocus: TDS process simplified 

• No minister contacted Madras HC judge: CJI 

• Scrap EVMs, let's go back to ballot, says Advani 

• CNN-IBN debate: Homosexuality vs Indian morality 

• Watch: Parties react to HC judgement on gays 

• Railways fail to provide basic facilities to passengers 

• Michael Jackson to be buried without his brain 

• Scrap EVMs, let's go back to ballot, says Advani 

• Shiney denies he had sex with domestic help 

• British spy chief's cover blown on Facebook 

• British Islamic group plans coup in Pakistan: report 

• Youth shot dead by cops had 26 injury marks 

• Kargil victory was certain: ex-army chief 

• Varun fears threat to life; Maneka slams Govt 

• Kambakkht Ishq is not vulgar or offensive: Akshay 

• No minister contacted Madras HC judge: CJI 

Photogallery

Find us on Facebook | Join IBNLive community

Stay ahead with G-Talk Buddy | Click now!

New Delhi: LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran has been injured in an aerial raid by Sri Lankan Air Force jets, the government claimed on Wednesday night. Sri Lankan Defence Ministry sources claimed Prabhakaran sustained injuries in air

strikes on a bunker complex in Jayanthinagar, Kilinochchi, on November 26.

"Intelligence sources have confirmed this. The air raid was carried out by four fighter aircraft of the Sri Lanka Air Force around 17:25 hours on November 26," the defence ministry said. The raid was carried out following intelligence reports that the bunker complex was frequented by the LTTE head.

It is not clear how badly Prabhakaran is injured, but media reports suggest the injuries are minor. There has been no reaction from the LTTE to the Army's claim.

Prabhakaran's injury has come as a demoralising news for the rebels. A couple of months back LTTE's political head SP Tamilselvan, who had been the public face of the rebels for years, had been killed in a similar air raid.

Sri Lankan Defence Ministry spokesperson Brig Udaya Nanayakkara said acting on reliable intelligence the Air Force first carried out a successful air strike targeting the leader of the LTTE on November 26. "Attack aircraft of the Air Force carried out another air strike on the same target on November 28," he said.

The defence ministry said the Air Force has confirmed that the target was successfully destroyed amidst heavy LTTE ground to air fire towards the Sri Lanka Air Force aircraft. It said subsequent to the attack, the Air Force monitored movements around the target.

Though the Air Force believed that Velupillai Prabhakaran had been hit in the attack, non-availability of ground information to confirm it at that time prevented the government from releasing this information to the media, the ministry said.

Brig Udaya Nanayakkara said the Sri Lankan Army is apprehending a retaliatory attack by the Tamil Tigers following the incident and the "Army was prepared for it."

The Nation newspaper had first reported that Prabhakaran sustained injuries during an air raid in rebel-held areas of Kilinochchi on November 28. But the LTTE strongly denied it. "It is a lie. Nothing of that sort happened," an LTTE spokesman said.