Tamil Tigers attack Colombo with aircraft

[Alamuti Lotus]

Source: The Guardian

Two Tamil Tiger aircraft launched an attack on Colombo last night sending a message of defiance to the Sri Lankan government which believes it is close to defeating the rebels, who are holed-up in the north-east of the country.

At least two people were confirmed dead last night and a further 50 injured after the Sri Lankan military shot down the light aircraft, one of which crashed into a tax office building.

Rebel fighters are boxed into a 34-square mile pocket of dense forest, convincing the Sri Lankan government that an end is in sight to the decades-long civil war. Witnesses said the air attack started at around 9.30pm as two jets appeared over the city's port area.

The light aircraft were met with a barrage of tracer bullets, anti-aircraft fire and flares fired from army defence positions within the city, preventing the pilots from dropping bombs.

The attack, the tenth of its kind in two years, heaps embarrassment on the Sri Lankan government which claimed it had destroyed the rebels' runways a fortnight ago as part of its punishing military campaign to end the 25-year conflict.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/21/sri-lanka-tamil-tigers-colombo

[bigendian]

1. Attack on Sri Lankan airport

Source: cnbc

Aicraft attack airport at Columbo.

No link yet.

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Anyone else know details?

[bemildred]

2. Sri Lanka says 27 hurt by rebel bombing of Colombo

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's military said on Friday at least 27 people had been wounded when two Tamil Tiger rebel planes raided the capital Colombo and bombed the country's tax headquarters.

Defense spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said at least 27 people were wounded by the bombing, in the capital's Fort area.

He said Sri Lankan forces had shot down one of the planes, which had crashed within the territory of the international airport just outside Colombo, and found the body of the pilot.

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSLK4069320090220

[bemildred]

3. Tamil Tiger planes attack Colombo

At least two people have been killed and 44 others injured after two rebel Tamil Tiger planes attacked the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, officials have said.

Sri Lankan military officials said that both aircraft had been shot down by air force jets shortly after the raids on Friday evening.

Anti-aircraft fire erupted over Colombo as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) carried out the raid, hitting and setting on fire the main tax office in the centre of the city.

Sri Lankan officials told the AFP news agency said that the raid was a suicide attack.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/02/2009220162220942482.html

[oberliner]

4. Thousands of Tamils rally at White House

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Thousands of members of the Tamil diaspora rallied Friday outside the White House to demand US pressure on the Sri Lankan government as it pursues a major offensive against Tiger rebels.

The rally was met by a smaller counter-demonstration, mostly by members of Sri Lanka's majority Sinhalese community, who called for the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to end their trademark suicide attacks.

The protests came just as the LTTE carried out a kamikaze-style air attack on Sri Lanka's capital Colombo, bombing the main tax building and killing two people.

Organizers said some 5,000 people -- mostly Tamil residents of the United States and Canada -- took part in the rally near the South Lawn of the White House, where they beat drums and chanted "Stop the genocide!"

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gHW_0tH4GYGszmYbUyx1kSjh0krw