Sri Lanka launched airstrikes against the Tamil Tigers as government troops made a fresh bid to penetrate defences around the rebels' political capital, the military said on Sunday.Planes carried out seven bombing sorties on Saturday in support of soldiers trying to capture Kilinochchi, the political headquarters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the defence ministry said. "Air force fighter jets made seven successive air strikes targeting LTTE defences and strategic locations in Wanni (of which Kilinochchi is the capital)," the ministry said.
The strikes came as the navy on Saturday destroyed a Tamil Tiger vessel carrying arms and other supplies off the island's northeastern coast, the ministry said. It said four more rebel craft in the area supporting the weapons-carrying ship were also attacked by navy patrol craft, but there were no details of casualties.
The Sri Lankan navy earlier said it had sunk virtually the entire fleet of arms-carrying ships of the Tiger guerrillas.
LTTE rebels said on Sunday they had mounted counter-attacks against government troops and killed at least 60 soldiers besieging their political headquarters. The LTTE said they had re-taken positions from government forces who have been closing in on Kilinochchi.
The pro-rebel Tamilnet website quoted Tiger officials as saying that they had killed 60 soldiers and wounded another 150 in Saturday's fighting. The rebels also claimed they had captured the bodies of 12 soldiers. The Tigers did not give details of their own casualties, but the defence ministry said the guerrillas suffered "heavy damages" when troops hit back.
The defence ministry rejected rebel claims of high military losses and placed security force casualties at 13 soldiers killed and 40 wounded.