Tigers threaten retaliation if attacks continue

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels said that they would retaliate militarily if the government resumed bombing of rebel areas for third day.

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels said on Saturday that they would retaliate militarily if the government resumed bombing of rebel areas for a third day, adding that they had clashed with the navy and killed 12 sailors.

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Sri Lanka's air force bombed rebel targets on Thursday and Friday night in retaliation for an attack on a civilian bus that killed 64.

There were no reports of bombing on Saturday, but both sides claimed victory in a naval clash off the northwest coast.

"We have clearly told the Norwegian facilitators and (the Nordic truce monitoring mission) SLMM that if the air strikes continue the LTTE will definitely take retaliatory action," head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) peace secretariat S Puleedevan said.