Skip to main content
U.S. Edition
Search
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
WORLD

Tamil rebels targeted as blast kills 64

From CNN's Iqbal Athas

YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS

Sri Lanka

(CNN) -- The Sri Lankan air force has launched fresh aerial attacks against Tamil Tiger positions following a deadly landmine attack that killed 64 people on a crowded bus.

Sri Lanka's air force dropped bombs near the Tamil Tiger rebel headquarters in Kilinochchi on Friday, Reuters reports, opening a second day of strikes.

The town was overflown once by a propeller-driven spotter plane just after dawn before jets flew in and dropped at least five bombs, Reuters says.

Sri Lanka's Air Force began targeting positions in rebel-held territory in northern and northeastern Sri Lanka on Thursday.

Rebel officials could not be reached for information about casualties from the airstrikes, which continued into the evening hours.

Hours before the airstrikes began, a powerful Claymore mine tore through a crowded bus carrying more than 100 passengers, mostly workers and school children, in the village of Kebettigollawa in the North Central Province. (Watch the aftermath of the mine explosion -- 1:25)

Army officials said 58 people died at the scene, including 15 children. Six others died after being taken to hospitals, officials said.

The incident happened around 7:30 a.m. (0200 GMT) on Thursday near the provincial capital, Anuradhapura.

A government statement said it "strongly condemns the barbaric and inhuman killing of dozens of innocent civilians," and it urged "the people to be calm and support its endeavor to eradicate the menace of terrorism."

But Tamil leadership denied any role in the bombing.

The pro-rebel Web site Tamilnet quoted the Tamil Tiger's Peace Secretariat head, Pulithevan, as condemning the "attack in the strongest possible terms." He called the attack ill-timed, saying it was carried out by "paramilitary elements."

But Sri Lanka's Media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said "there is no doubt this was the work of the Tamil Tiger rebels."

"They have done this in the past and disowned responsibility to avoid becoming international pariah," he said. "But the world now knows. We have no doubt they were responsible. There are no others who use Claymore mines against the civilians and the military."

The government appealed for calm and restraint on television and radio.

The air strikes targeted rebel positions and an illegal airstrip in the northern Pallai area of Mullaitivu, a coastal district that was devastated by the December 2004 tsunami, Air Force sources said. The government called the airstrikes "deterrent measures."

Sri Lankan political and military leaders were meeting to assess the situation.

A cease-fire between the rebels and the government -- brokered by Norway in 2002 -- has broken down over the past several months after rebel attacks and government reprisals against Tamil strongholds.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), known as the Tamil Tigers, have been seeking their own Tamil homeland in the north and east of the island nation, which lies to the south of India.

Talks scheduled for mid-April in Geneva were canceled after rebel leaders blamed the government for breaking a promise to disband paramilitary groups.

The rebels accuse paramilitaries of acting with Sri Lanka security forces to carry out attacks on rebel members and supporters.

Some 500 people have been killed since early April, Reuters reports, and many now fear a slide back into the island's two decade civil war.

Last month the European Union listed the Tamil Tigers as a terrorist group alongside al Qaeda.

More than 65,000 people on both sides have been killed since the Tigers began fighting in 1983 to create a separate state for Sri Lanka's 3.2 million Tamils, alleging discrimination by the country's 14 million Sinhalese.

Story Tools
Click Here to try 4 Free Trial Issues of Time! cover
Top Stories
Get up-to-the minute news from CNN
CNN.com gives you the latest stories and video from the around the world, with in-depth coverage of U.S. news, politics, entertainment, health, crime, tech and more.
Top Stories
Get up-to-the minute news from CNN
CNN.com gives you the latest stories and video from the around the world, with in-depth coverage of U.S. news, politics, entertainment, health, crime, tech and more.
CNN U.S.
CNN TV E-mail Services CNN Mobile CNNAvantGo Ad Info About Us Preferences
Search
© 2007 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.
A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us. Site Map.
Offsite Icon External sites open in new window; not endorsed by CNN.com
Pipeline Icon Pay service with live and archived video. Learn more
Radio News Icon Download audio news  |  RSS Feed Add RSS headlines