Sri Lanka air force bombs Tamil Tiger base

DILIP GANGULY
Associated Press

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka's air force said it bombed a Tamil Tiger naval base in the country's northwest on Tuesday, but a rebel spokesmen said the air raid killed 15 civilians in a fishing village.

There was no way to independently verify the contradicting claims.

Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan said the bombs fell on Padahuthurai in northwest Sri Lanka's Mannar district, killing at least 15 civilians and wounding 35 others.

He said he feared the death toll would climb as many of those injured were in serious condition, and also said that 25 of the 30 houses in the village were burned down.

Air Force spokesman, Grp. Cap. Ajantha Silva, told a news conference that the bombers targeted a base in Mannar of the Sea Tigers, the naval wing of the separatist Tamil Tiger insurgents.