By Xinhua
Colombo : Sri Lanka’s Air Force Thursday mounted an air strike against a Tamil Tigers position in the north of the island, the military said.
The media centre for National Security said in a statement that the Air Force bombed an identified LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) position that was posing a threat to the forward defence line at Periyathampane in the northern district of Vavuniya around 0415 GMT.
The Air Force said the LTTE sustained severe damage in the operation.
However, the LTTE said the warplanes shelled a civilian gathering killing two people and injuring another five, including an expectant mother.
This was the second air strike against the rebels’ targets by the Sri Lankan Air Force after the LTTE launched a surprise attack on the northern Anuradhapura air base Monday, damaging eight aircraft.
Fourteen troops were killed and 22 injured in Monday’s pre-dawn attack.
The Air Force mounted air attacks on rebels’ training camp in the northern Mullathivu district Wednesday.
Sri Lanka’s Norwegian backed peace process has been stalled since 2003 when the Tigers pulled out of talks claiming the process had achieved very little in terms of results.
President Mahinda Rajapakse since being elected to office in November 2005 has been carrying on with a military campaign against the Tigers to combat what he terms terrorism.