30 killed as airforces bomb Sri Lankan rebel bases

Colombo: Air force fighter jets bombed two Tamil Tiger rebel bases in northern Sri Lanka on Wednesday while infantry clashes across the region killed 26 rebels and four soldiers, the military said.

Fighters pounded the headquarters of the Charles Anthony Brigade, an elite rebel infantry unit and another base housing female fighters in the Tiger stronghold of Kilinochchi district, said Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara, an air force spokesman.

Early Wednesday, air force planes bombed a jungle hide-out in the Mullaitivu district believed to be used by top leaders of the Tamil rebels, he said.

With nearly all communications to the north severed, rebel spokesmen could not be contacted for comment.