LTTE ON THE OFFENSIVE USING AIR POWER :Vanni SF HQ attacked

Vanni SF HQ attacked
Tuesday, 09 September 2008, 00:53 GMT]
The joint headquarters of the Sri Lankan forces in Vanni, situated in Vavuniyaa town, came under attack for more than 2 hours by the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) in the early hours of Tuesday, according to initial reports from the town. There were at least 11 explosions that rocked the town and heavy exchange of gunfire was reported till 5:00 a.m. Meanwhile, there were also reports of three LTTE's aircrafts engaged in the mission over Vavunyaa, around 2:30 a.m. In the meantime, at least one civilian was wounded when Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) attacked two localities in LTTE controlled region in Vanni.

The Sri Lankan military officials in Colombo claimed that their forces counter-attacked the Tiger aircrafts, but their was no indication of any aircraft coming down, according to civilian sources.

The explosions were also caused by Tiger artillery that targeted the Sri Lankan headquarters, after the Tiger air mission, the sources further added.

One civilian, a girl, was wounded and rushed to hospital, medical sources in the town said.

In the meantime, Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers and surveillance aircrafts, stepped up flying missions over Ki'linochchi and Mullaiththeevu districts from 4:00 a.m., and attacked two localities.

The first air attack by the SLAF was reported in Puthukkudiyiruppu, three times, between 4:20 and 5:10 a.m. The attack has taken place in densely populated area and the premises of a school, Puthukkudiyiruppu Subramaniya Viththiyaalayam, was among the target, according to initial reports from Puthukkudiyiruppu. A 50-year-old woman, identified as Ms. Sulojana, was wounded. Shops in the town have also sustained damage in the SLAF attack.

At 6:40 a.m., a locality in Poonakari (Pooneryn) was bombed by the SLAF bombers. Casualty details were not available.