This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/6224121.stm
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Tamil Tiger 'naval base' attacked | Tamil Tiger 'naval base' attacked |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Sri Lanka's air force has bombed what it says is a Tamil Tiger rebel naval base in the north-west of the island. | Sri Lanka's air force has bombed what it says is a Tamil Tiger rebel naval base in the north-west of the island. |
| The rebels say the air raid, near the town of Mannar, killed 15 civilians and wounded 25 others in a fishing village. | The rebels say the air raid, near the town of Mannar, killed 15 civilians and wounded 25 others in a fishing village. |
| The military says it has photographs to prove it was a base of the Sea Tigers, the rebels' naval wing. | The military says it has photographs to prove it was a base of the Sea Tigers, the rebels' naval wing. |
| Fighting has escalated over the past year, with more than 3,000 people killed. Peace talks in October failed and a 2002 truce exists only on paper. | Fighting has escalated over the past year, with more than 3,000 people killed. Peace talks in October failed and a 2002 truce exists only on paper. |
| 'Civilian houses' | 'Civilian houses' |
| Air force spokesman Group Captain Ajantha Silva said the area targeted had been to the north of Mannar, an area under rebel control. | Air force spokesman Group Captain Ajantha Silva said the area targeted had been to the north of Mannar, an area under rebel control. |
| He said military aircraft had also targeted rebel mortar positions in eastern Batticaloa district. | He said military aircraft had also targeted rebel mortar positions in eastern Batticaloa district. |
| "Our air force took two known Tiger targets this morning," he told a news conference. | "Our air force took two known Tiger targets this morning," he told a news conference. |
| He said it was impossible to accurately assess the damage after the bombing run near Mannar but he said that shortly after the attack rebels were heard on radio airwaves calling for doctors and vehicles to treat and evacuate their wounded. | He said it was impossible to accurately assess the damage after the bombing run near Mannar but he said that shortly after the attack rebels were heard on radio airwaves calling for doctors and vehicles to treat and evacuate their wounded. |
| Rebel spokesman Rasaiah Ilanthirayan said four fighter jets had destroyed dozens of civilian houses. | Rebel spokesman Rasaiah Ilanthirayan said four fighter jets had destroyed dozens of civilian houses. |
| "There are 15 dead bodies and 25 wounded from the bombing," he told Reuters news agency. | "There are 15 dead bodies and 25 wounded from the bombing," he told Reuters news agency. |
| There was no way of independently confirming the two sides' differing accounts. | |
| The Tamil Tigers frequently say civilians have been killed by the military, which accuses the rebels of using them as human shields. | |
| At least 3,400 people have been killed in the conflict in the past year, many of them civilians, the government says. More than 65,000 lives have been lost since 1972. | |
| Neither side has formally declared an end to the four-year-old ceasefire, which expires in February. | Neither side has formally declared an end to the four-year-old ceasefire, which expires in February. |
| The rebels want independence for the 2.5m-strong minority Tamil community in the north and east of the country, who they say are discriminated against by majority Sinhalas. | The rebels want independence for the 2.5m-strong minority Tamil community in the north and east of the country, who they say are discriminated against by majority Sinhalas. |