Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers have bombed a military base near the international airport north of Colombo. Three people were killed and 16 injured when light aircraft dropped two bombs, officials said, hitting a parking area for planes and helicopter gunships. The raid on the air force base took place at about 0045 on Monday (1915 GMT Sunday). The international airport - which was not damaged - closed briefly as a precaution. Flights in and out of the civilian airport were cancelled and roads cordoned off but no civilians were wounded and the runway was not damaged.A statement from the Tamil Tiger rebel group, carried by TamilNet, claimed responsibility for the attack on the Katunayake base, which is 30km (20 miles) north of the capital, Colombo. The group said two aircraft were used in the bombing and both planes returned to rebel-held territory safely. "It is a measure to protect Tamil civilians from the genocidal aerial bombardments by Sri Lankan armed forces. More attacks of the same nature will follow," said the rebels' military spokesman, Rasiah Ilanthiraiyan.
Air force officials said damage to the military facility was "minor"
Neil Butler, a British passenger at the airport, was inside the terminal building when the attack happened. "I heard a large thud and we all went to the window. There was a long silence and then several more explosions followed by machine gun fire," he told the BBC News website. "The staff ran for the exit followed by the passengers. When I arrived downstairs in the check-in area a large crowd was running in a panic from the entrance where there had been more machine gun fire." He said: "I saw what looked like kind of fireworks in the sky, like a series of red flashes. But I didn't see any aircraft going over."
Tiger rebels attacked the airport and base in 2001, killing 18 and wiping out half of the national airline fleet.