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Sri Lankan army bombs 'sea base' Sri Lanka ceasefire call rejected
(about 4 hours later)
Sri Lanka's military says it has used fighter jets to bomb a Tamil Tiger sea base in the north of the country. The Sri Lanka government has dismissed a call by Tamil Tiger rebels for both sides to observe a 2002 ceasefire.
The attack was aimed at a naval base used by rebels in Alampil, in the Mullaithivu district, officials said. The rebels said on Thursday they were "shocked and disappointed" that the government was ending the ceasefire.
The government said 25 rebels have been killed elsewhere in ground fighting. The rebels are yet to comment. But the government accused the rebels of using the ceasefire as a cover to "unleash terror activities".
Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan authorities have rejected an offer by the Tamil Tigers to abide by a ceasefire which the government has abandoned. The Sri Lankan military has made significant advances in the last year. Both sides have been accused of ignoring the ceasefire.
The government's commitment to the ceasefire formally ends on 16 January. In practice, the truce has fallen apart in the last two years. Some 5,000 people have been killed in fighting in the last two years alone.
Both sides have repeatedly breached it and are also accused of committing human rights abuses. The government formally pulls out of the ceasefire on 16 January.
'Liberation operations'
"While the CFA [ceasefire agreement] was on, they attacked civilian targets," government defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella told the Reuters news agency on Friday.
The government has made significant advances against the Tigers
"So what they are trying to do is take cover under this and then unleash terror activities.
"We will be going on with our liberation operations. We need to liberate the whole country from terrorism. We will flush them out," Mr Rambukwella said.
The head of the Tigers' political wing, B Nadesan, said in a statement on Thursday that the rebels were ready "to implement every clause of the CFA agreement and respect it 100%".
Human rights groups have accused both sides of severe rights abuses when the military and the Tigers said they were observing the ceasefire.
The Tigers have been fighting for a separate Tamil state in northern and eastern Sri Lanka.
The government says it will complete a plan for greater autonomy for Sri Lanka's minority Tamil population by early February.
But it insists that the Tigers must be defeated on the battlefield.
Intense fightingIntense fighting
Air force jets hit the base at Alampil and the facility was destroyed, said the AFP news agency, quoting defence ministry sources. Also on Friday, the military said it had used fighter jets to bomb a Tamil Tiger sea base in the north of the country.
There has been no reaction from the rebels so far. In the past they have often said that civilians were killed in such raids. The attack was aimed at a naval base used by rebels in Alampil, in the Mullaitivu district, officials said.
Heavy fighting has been going on in the north and east The government said 25 rebels have been killed elsewhere in ground fighting. The rebels are yet to comment.
Intense fighting has been going on in northern and eastern Sri Lanka in recent days.Intense fighting has been going on in northern and eastern Sri Lanka in recent days.
The government has driven the Tigers from their strongholds in the east of the island and has been claiming sustained successes in the north. Last year the government drove the Tigers from their strongholds in the east of the island and it has been claiming sustained successes in the north.
Meanwhile, the government has rejected the Tigers' appeal to abide by the terms of a 2002 ceasefire, brokered by Norway.
"While the ceasefire agreement was on, they [Tamil Tigers] attacked civilian targets. So what they are trying to do is take cover under this and then unleash terror activities," minister and government defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella was quoted by news agency Reuters as saying.
"We will be going on with our liberation operations. We need to liberate the whole country from terrorism. We will flush them out," he said.
In the past two years some 5,000 people have been killed, despite both sides having professed their commitment to the ceasefire.
At least 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict since it began in 1983.At least 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict since it began in 1983.