COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan government said Wednesday its air force jets bombed the main intelligence command of the Tiger rebels.
The bombing occurred in the Kilinochchi area in the troubled northern region, LankaPage reported.
Earlier this week, the military said its air force had shot down one of the rebels' planes, the first such by the military, during an air-ground assault. The operation resulted in the deaths of 12 soldiers and a policeman.
In the latest fighting, the air force said it attacked a rebel camp south of Kanagarayankulama, resulting in heavy rebel casualties, air force spokesman Janaka Nanayakkara said.
Separately, the government said a rebel arms and ammunition depot in the Mullaittivu district was destroyed shortly after the attack in Kanagarayakulama.
The Sri Lankan military says it is close to achieving victory in the northern region, having achieved similar success in the eastern part of the island nation.
The United Nations is getting increasingly concerned about the safety of civilians in the north as the government has asked aid agencies to leave the territory.
The violence in the Tiger-controlled north has displaced tens of thousands of civilians, aid agencies say.
The Tamil Tigers have been fighting for more than two decades for a separate homeland for the Tamil-speaking people in the island nation.
