Lankan war planes bomb targets in Wanni

Colombo, Feb 22: Sri Lanka claimed that its supersonic war jets bombed yet another Sea Tiger base in the rebel-held Kilinochchi area this morning and the rebels announced that at least five civilians were killed during the fresh air attack. ''SLAF fighter jets made offensive sorties at an inland sea tiger base this morning at Kiranchchi, west of Kilinochchi. Pilots have confirmed completing the mission successfully,'' the Defence Ministry said, adding the LTTE were yet to reveal the damage.

However, barely an hour later, the LTTE Peace Secretariat in a statement claimed that ''five civilians were killed and seven more were injured, two of them critically, when Sri Lanka bombed a coastal civilian settlement in the Kiranchi area in Poonahari in the Kilinochchi district this morning.'' ''Children in the Kiranchi Government Tamil School near by were screaming in fear and scattered in all directions as the noise of the bombers disturbed their classes,'' the rebels said.

The Sri Lankan Air Force has been bombing the suspected rebel targets almost daily in the recent past. Even yesterday, the Air Force fighter jets bombed ''two artillery positions of LTTE terrorists located in the North of Mannar and Mullaittivu areas.'' The Defence Ministry said the Tigers have been firing heavy artillery shells towards Mannar and Welioya Forward Defence Lines (FDLs) using guns located at these two locations.

UNI