By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Sri Lankan air force helicopters bombed Tamil Tiger rebel positions near the strategic port of Trincomalee in the country's northeast on Tuesday, the Defense Ministry said.
"The presence of LTTE cadres there was a threat to our air force and naval detachments there," military spokesman, Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe, referring to the Tigers' official name, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
There was no independent confirmation of the report and the rebels, who say they are fighting to create a separate homeland for Sri Lanka's 3.1 million Tamils, could not be reached immediately for comment.