Mar 22, Colombo: The Sri Lanka Air force fighter jets bombed a Sea Tiger Base and a coordinating center while the ground forces capture a square kilometer area of Tiger land in the embattled North, the defense officials said.

The Air Force spokesman, Wing Commander Andy Wijesuriya said the first air raid struck a LTTE Sea Tiger base 7 km north of Nayaru lagoon today around 11.15 am local time.

The second air raid targeted the Sea Tiger Coordinating Centre in Pudukuduiruppu West in Mullaitivu district today around 2.10 pm. The spokesman said both attacks destroyed the targets completely.

The air raids followed the sinking of a Sri Lankan Navy fast attack craft in a suspected Tiger mine explosion in the early hours of Saturday in the waters off Nayaru. Six of the 16 sailors were rescued. Search operations are underway to find the missing.

Meanwhile ground troops recaptured an area of a square kilometer in Parayanakulam in Mannar district in northern Sri Lanka from the Tigers in a heavy battle early Saturday, the military said.

At least 15 rebels and two soldiers were killed in the fighting, defense officials said. Nine soldiers and a large numbers of rebels had been injured.

Army troops launched attacks on the northern and southern sides of the A- 9 road in Jaffna this morning killing seven Tigers.