Sri Lankan troops destroy rebel base
Sri Lankan air force planes have bombed and destroyed a Tamil rebel base in northern Sri Lanka.
Pilots reported seeing a massive fire that started after their MiG-27 bombers hit the target near Elephant Pass, which connects northern Jaffna Peninsula with the mainland.
Troops are 11 miles from the centre of the main rebel base at Elephant Pass, military officials say.
The rebels' capture last year of Elephant Pass, which links the Tamil-majority north with the Sinhalese-dominated mainland, was regarded as one of the army's biggest defeats in 17 years of war.
The government's operation to retake the pass has slowed down.
If the troops manage to retake the causeway it will seriously jeopardize the militants' food and armaments supply route.
