Military

Lankan Tigers air attack on oil facilities

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, April 29, IRNA
Sri Lanka-LTTE-Air Attack
In yet another aerial strike, Tamil Tiger aircraft bombed oil and gas storage facilities in and around Sri Lankan capital early Sunday.

Confirming the strike by the Tigers on key installations near Colombo, the Sri Lankan Defense Ministry said only 'minor damage' was caused in the attack, a PTI report said here.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) dropped two bombs at the Muthurajawela gas storage facility of Shell and dropped two more bombs at the main oil storage depot at Kolonnawa here, the ministry said.

"The suspected LTTE aircraft have (dropped) four improvised bombs," the ministry said in a statement.

The two bombs dropped on the oil facility failed to explode, the ministry said.

A rebel spokesman said two LTTE aircraft carried out the attacks in retaliation for military air raids on their territory.

He said two 'squadrons' were dispatched after Sri Lankan air force jets had bombed targets in Kilinochchi in the north where the rebels have their headquarters.

The air force confirmed a rebel claim that the military war planes had bombed the outskirts of the rebel-held Kilinochchi town, 330 kilometers north of here, hours before the Tigers staged their tit-for -tat attack.

Air Force spokesman Ajantha Silva said they carried out a second air strike against the Tigers after the rebel air strikes here early this morning.

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