By Xinhua
Colombo : Sri Lanka's air planes bombed Tamil Tiger rebel positions in the country's east, military officials said.
Bombs fell at two Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) facilities in the Thoppigala jungle. The military and the rebels have been clashing at Thoppigala since early this year.
The army says the LTTE will be flushed out of Thoppigala, the last rebel bastion in the east.
The military, in a major victory in the latter part of last year, annexed two LTTE strongholds, Sampur and Vakarai. However, the rebels said they are only making tactical withdrawals in the east.
The upsurge in the island's ethnic violence since the end of 2005 has claimed nearly 5,000 lives.