Tiger air raids hit Sri Lanka

Tamil Tiger rebels have carried out two air strikes near a northern military base and oil tanks in the Sri Lankan capital, military sources have said.

The attacks prompted anti-aircraft fire across Colombo's shore, which had been darkened after the power was switched off as a precaution shortly after the first strike at Mannar, located near the northern war zone about 250 km to the north.

"One LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) aircraft was airborne and dropped bombs on Mannar area military headquarters. We are checking on reports of damages and casualties," a military official said.

Shortly afterwards, the sound of heavy guns echoed through Colombo, as people stood in the streets watching.

"The aircraft dropped bombs in Colombo near the oil storage tanks," a military source said on condition of anonymity. Another source confirmed it and said it was under investigation.

There was no immediate comment from military headquarters.

If confirmed, these would be the eighth and ninth strikes by the Tigers' rudimentary air wing, which debuted in March 2007 with a bombing run on the military air base inside Colombo's international airport.

The last raid came in September, when the military said it had shot down one of the planes. The Tigers denied that, and no evidence was ever found.

The military says the Tigers' air wing has three two-seater Czech-made Zlin-143 aircraft fitted with home-made bombing equipment.

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