The Hindu : Front Page : Sri Lanka defends air strikes

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Thursday, Apr 27, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Sri Lanka defends air strikes

V.S. Sambandan

Unofficial figures put casualties in deterrent strikes at 12

COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan Government on Wednesday said it had the "right to self-defence" and asserted that "co-ordinated operations" by its armed forces, including air strikes on "selected targets" in areas controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), "will continue" as long as rebel attacks take place.

According to unofficial figures, at least 12 persons were reported killed in the rebel-held areas of eastern Trincomalee district after the Government launched its "deterrent strikes" on Tuesday, hours after its Army chief, Sarath Fonseka, survived a suicide bomb attack in Colombo.

The Government said the strikes were launched after the LTTE attacked the Navy in the eastern Trincomalee district and were meant to "deter" further attacks. Keheliya Rambukwella, the spokesperson on security affairs, said the air strikes on Tuesday evening and early Wednesday morning were on "selected targets after confirmed information."

Fonseka out of danger

The condition of the Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Fonseka, was stable and out of danger, the Army said. "The Commander has regained consciousness, but nobody is allowed to visit him," the military spokesperson, Prasad Samarasinghe, said.

He said he had no information on the casualties in the area of operation as it was under LTTE control.

According to the TamilNet, at least 12 bodies of Tamil civilians were recovered from the area.

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