The bombing targeted a Tamil Tiger naval base in northeastern Mullaittivu, air force spokesman said, adding that the target was hit but that there were no immediate details of damages or casualties. The military launched air strikes on what it described as Tiger naval bases on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. However, the Tigers said Tuesday's strike did not strike a base, but that it killed 16civilians in a fishing village. The military denied this. More... Discuss this story Published: Thu Jan 4 23:24:17 EST 2007

The airstrikes targeted the Alampila base on the northeastern Mullaittivu coast, military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said, adding that the Sea Tiger base was destroyed. No information was immediately available on casualties.

Later Thursday, soldiers clashed with rebel Tamil Tigers near the border of Mullaittivu, leaving one soldier and one rebel dead, Samarasinghe said.

Elsewhere, a roadside bomb targeting an army foot patrol in the northern town of Vavuniya killed one soldier and wounded two, he said.

The attacks followed warnings by the rebels of repercussions after an air force attack that the rebels said killed 16 civilians in a fishing village on Tuesday.

The Defense Ministry has denied that civilians were struck in Tuesday's airstrike, saying that a guerrilla base in Mannar was targeted, and have accused the rebels of spreading false allegations about the attack to discredit the security forces and win international sympathy.

The insurgents said the airstrikes struck a fishing village, and senior rebel official Seevaratnam Puleedevan on Wednesday said the death toll rose to 16 after two children succumbed to their injuries.

``We condemn this brutal attack and we warn the Sri Lanka state of serious repercussions,'' Puleedevan said by telephone from northern Kilinochchi. ``It will be a serious.''

The Tamil Tigers _ who have been fighting since 1983 for a separate homeland for the country's 3.1 million ethnic Tamils _ released photos of what they said were victims of the bombing arriving at a hospital.

In one, a child was shown with blood on his face, appearing to writhe in pain.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs also expressed concern over civilian deaths in the air raid. In a Web statement, the office urged both sides to take measures to protect civilians, adding the U.N. had ``too often seen them fall short in this duty.''

A Norwegian-brokered 2002 cease-fire has all but disintegrated: more than 3,600 fighters and civilians were killed in renewed fighting in 2006, according to Defense Ministry. However, the cease-fire still officially holds.

Before the cease-fire, the conflict claimed the lives of about 65,000 people and displaced another 1.6 million.

Discuss this story Published: Thu Jan 4 08:10:31 EST 2007

According to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Social Welfare, the Multi-Purpose Cooperative Societies would distribute the grocery imported by the government of Sri Lanka.

The import of dhal, sugar, salt and other necessities from Chennai was arranged by the Minister of Social Welfare, KN Douglas Devananda, during his recent visit to India.

The food items would bring great relief to the 600,000 Tamils of Jaffna during the current festive season.

They had been facing a severe shortage of food and medicines after the A9 highway, linking Jaffna with South Sri Lanka, was blocked by the Sri Lankan government for security reasons at Muhamalai in August 2006.

The government of Sri Lanka wanted India to supply Jaffna, but there was reluctance on the part of India to do so directly, because of the absence of a security guarantee from the LTTE.

The LTTE had been of the view that any import of food from India would only result in the postponement of the opening of the A9 highway, which for it was also a military as well as a political necessity.

The government suggested the use of the sea route instead, but the LTTE said that it would not allow it.

However, government ships had been plying between Trincomalee and Jaffna with food.

According to the Sri Lankan military spokesman, Brig Prasad Samarsinghe, the supply of food from the south by sea, had already met 85 per cent of Jaffna's needs by the end of December 2006.

The realisation of the long-standing plan to bring food from India directly to Jaffna could be attributed to the gathering movement in Tamil Nadu to alleviate the suffering of the Tamils in Jaffna.

The Centre and the Tamil Nadu government had no option but to do all that they could to reach food to Jaffna. And the LTTE might have had no option but to allow the import. More... Published: Thu Jan 4 13:05:33 EST 2007