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S Lanka 'shoots down rebel plane' S Lanka 'shoots down rebel plane'
(about 2 hours later)
The Sri Lankan air force says it has shot down an aircraft belonging to the rebel Tamil Tigers. The Sri Lankan air force has said it has shot down an aircraft belonging to the rebel Tamil Tigers.
The air force said the aircraft was intercepted by fighter planes after it tried to bomb a military airfield near the northern front-line. The air force said the aircraft was intercepted by fighter jets after it attempted to bomb a military airfield in the north of the island.
This is the first time that Sri Lankan forces have shot down a rebel plane. This is the first time the Sri Lankan military has shot down a rebel plane.
The Tamil Tigers carried out their first air raid in March last year, with a surprise attack on an air base near the capital, Colombo. The Tamil Tigers carried out their first air raid in March last year, with a surprise attack on an air base on the outskirts of the capital, Colombo.
The Tamil Tigers have been fighting for a separate homeland in the north and east of Sri Lanka for 25 years. The Tamil Tigers have been fighting for a separate state for the Tamil minority in the north and east of Sri Lanka for 25 years. More than 70,000 people have died.
More than 70,000 people have died in the conflict . Government offensive
Fighting has intensified in Sri Lanka in recent months as soldiers have advanced, aiming to crush the rebels and win the war which began a generation ago. Air force spokesman Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara said its aircraft had intercepted two Tamil Tiger planes over the north-east of the island after they tried to bomb an air base in Vavuniya.
Tens of thousands of people have fled from the Tiger-controlled areas. The unsuccessful bombing raid was accompanied by a rebel artillery strike, he said.
The Tamil Tiger aircraft have improvised bomb racks Tamil Tigers unveil latest tactic
An air force jet successfully hit one of the rebel planes with an air-to-air missile, and it went down into thick jungle near the rebel-controlled port of Mullaittivu, he added.
It is the first time the military has said it has managed to destroy a Tamil Tiger plane since the group launched its first raid in March last year, on an air force base next to capital's international airport.
The last successful rebel attack took place on the strategic eastern port of Trincomalee in August, when 10 sailors were wounded.
The Tamil Tigers have a number of small Czech-built, two-seater, propeller-driven Zlin-143 aircraft, which are operated from jungle airstrips.
They are thought to have been smuggled into the island in pieces, then reassembled and modified to carry bombs.
The aerial battle comes as the government forces continue a major offensive against the rebels in northern areas of the island.
On Monday, the government ordered all aid workers out of the battle zone, saying it could not guarantee their safety.