Tamil Tiger air attack kills three and shuts airport in Sri Lanka

TAMIL Tiger rebels carried out their first air raid yesterday, bombing Sri Lanka’s main military base in a daring night-time mission that forced the closure of the island’s only international airport.

At least three Sri Lankan air force men were killed and another 16 wounded in the assault on Katunayake airbase, officials said.

Police launched two investigations to probe the embarrassing security lapses at the base, which was devastated by a Tiger ground offensive in July 2001.