Tamil Tigers launch air attack

Tamil Tiger aircraft bombed a Sri Lankan military air force base in the early hours of this morning, killing three people and wounding a further 16, according to reports.

It is the first air raid launched by the rebel fighters and marks a further escalation in the conflict between the group and the Sri Lankan government.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) warned that more attacks would follow and pictures of some of the planes were published on the pro-rebel website Tamilnet.com.

The airbase is near Colombo international airport which government officials said was not damaged, but was closed for several hours.

Group captain Ajantha de Silva, an airforce spokesman, told Reuters: "A light Tiger aircraft flew over the air force base and dropped explosives. There have been two explosions. At the same time our air defences activated and there is a search operation going on."

A rebel military spokesman, Rasiah Ilanthiraiyan, confirmed the attack to Reuters and said it was a measure "to protect Tamil civilians from the genocidal aerial bombardments by Sri Lankan armed forces".