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S Lanka 'shoots down rebel plane' Heavy losses in Sri Lanka clash
(about 2 hours later)
Sri Lanka's air force has shot down a plane belonging to the rebel Tamil Tigers, military officials have said. Sri Lanka's military says 12 soldiers and a policemen have been killed during a Tamil Tiger attack on a base in the northern area of Vavuniya.
If confirmed, it would be the first rebel plane downed by the military. The Tigers say 10 of their suicide fighters were killed in the raid.
The aircraft was intercepted by fighter jets after it and another rebel plane bombed a military airfield in the north of the island, the air force said. The government says a Tiger plane was shot down, a claim which the rebel group has denied.
Meanwhile, the UN says its staff will begin leaving rebel-held territory this week, after a government order banning foreign aid workers from the area.Meanwhile, the UN says its staff will begin leaving rebel-held territory this week, after a government order banning foreign aid workers from the area.
Government offensive Indian technicians
The air force said the light aircraft used by the Tamil Tigers was shot down over thick jungle near Mullaittivu, in rebel-held territory. The Ministry of Defence says the pre-dawn land and air attack by the Tigers on an army and air force complex was "completely foiled".
It said that 10 Tamil Tigers had been killed, as well as 12 soldiers and one policeman.
Sources in the Sri Lanka air force also said they had shot down a Tamil Tiger plane in the Mullaittivu region. If confirmed, it would be the first rebel plane downed by the military. The media are denied access to the area.
The Indian High Commission in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, told the BBC Tamil service that two Indian radar technicians working at the air base had been injured in the attack. Its spokesman Thinkar Asthana said the technicians were doing routine maintenance and servicing work in the complex.
That has been denied by the Sri Lankan army.
In their account of the fighting, the Tigers said that 10 of their suicide attackers died and that they had destroyed a Sri Lankan air force radar station. They said at least 20 soldiers had been killed and they denied that any of their planes had been shot down.
Weapon stores, a communication tower, a communication facility and anti-aircraft guns were destroyed in this attack, the Tigers' military spokesman, Rasiah Marshall, said.
The Tamil Tiger aircraft have improvised bomb racks Tamil Tigers unveil latest tacticThe Tamil Tiger aircraft have improvised bomb racks Tamil Tigers unveil latest tactic
A rebel artillery strike and ground assault on the air base killed 10 soldiers, 10 rebels and one policeman, the ministry of defence said. The Tigers released a photograph of the suicide attackers, taken with Tamil Tiger leader Prabhakaran, before the attack and said the suicide squad had been assisted by other fighters on land and in the airplanes.
The Tamil Tigers said they had no information that one of their planes had been shot down.
There is no independent confirmation. The media are denied access to the area.
The ministry of defence said 15 soldiers, five air force personnel and eight police were also wounded in the attack on the air base at Vavuniya, near the frontline in north-eastern Sri Lanka.
The Tigers' rudimentary air force began operations last year with a surprise attack on an air base on the outskirts of the capital, Colombo.The Tigers' rudimentary air force began operations last year with a surprise attack on an air base on the outskirts of the capital, Colombo.
The last successful rebel attack took place on the strategic eastern port of Trincomalee in August, when 10 sailors were wounded.
The BBC's Roland Buerk in Colombo says the Tamil Tigers have a number of small Czech-built, two-seater, propeller-driven Zlin-143 aircraft, which are operated from jungle airstrips.The BBC's Roland Buerk in Colombo says 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, our correspondent says.They are thought to have been smuggled into the island in pieces, then reassembled and modified to carry bombs, our correspondent says.
The aerial battle comes as the government forces continue a major offensive against the rebels in northern areas of the island. Tuesday's clash comes as 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.On Monday, the government ordered all aid workers out of the battle zone, saying it could not guarantee their safety.
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.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.