LTTE's Black Air Tigers behind Colombo aerial strike

Colombo, Feb 21 (ANI): The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE), on Saturday claimed responsibility of Friday night's aerial strikes on a main revenue department building near the Sri Lankan Air Force Headquarters in Colombo.

In a statement released on its website, the LTTE said the strikes were suicide attacks carried out by its 'Black Air Tiger' squad.

They also released photographs of the two Black Air Tigers, Col. Roopan and Lt. Col. Siriththiran with LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran before embarking on their mission.

The attack claimed the lives of two persons and injured 54.

"The aircrafts dived into Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Headquarters in Colombo and into the SLAF base at Katunayaka at around 0915pm(local time) last night carrying out successful air raids," a pro-LTTE website reported.

However, Government defense spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella has claimed that both LTTE aircrafts were chased and destroyed shortly after the bombings.

A Defense ministry statement on Friday had said the second aircraft was disabled by the anti air gunfire reportedly and crashed on the Inland Revenue building.

The military has recovered the remains of the aircraft and a body of the LTTE pilot from Katunayake area.

It has informed that the pilot, whose body was found intact, had a large quantity of explosives and bombs inside the aircraft. (ANI)