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Sri Lanka troops capture rebel Tamil Tiger's airstrip

by Sanjay Jha | December 24, 2008 at 04:14 am

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Sri Lankan troops have captured an airstrip of the Tamil Tiger rebels in the country's north, defence officials said Wednesday. The airstrip was located 15 km east of Mankulam town that was captured by Army's Task Force 3 this week.

There are reports coming that Sri Lankan security forces killed at least 20 Tamil Tiger rebels who were defending their political capital of Kilinochchi in the island's north.

Troops captured the village of Sinna Paranthan, northwest of Kilinochchi, from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Sri Lanka's government troops who are on the forward march in the island's north have captured a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) airstrip, defense officials said Wednesday.

The 200-meter-long and 20-meter-wide airstrip was located 15 km east of Mankulam, a town captured this week by the Army's Task Force 3. This was the 3rd rebel airstrip that has fallen under government control in the current military operations, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told reporters.

The LTTE using its light aircraft have carried out some eight air raids on different locations since March 2007.

Meanwhile the Sri Lanka Airforce had conducted three separate air raids Wednesday morning, the Airforce spokesman Janaka Nanayakkara said.

Nanayakkara added that the raids successfully targeted Paranthan and Muhamalai forward defense lines of the rebels.