Ministry claims rebel plane shot down

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan defense ministry said its air force Tuesday shot down a plane belonging to the Tamil Tiger rebels in the Tamil-stronghold northern region.

Air Force spokesman Janaka Nanayakkara said the plane, which went down near Mualaithiuvu, was one of two sent to attack an air base. He said radar picked up the planes and air force jets launched from the airbase intercepted them and shot one of them down.

An army spokesman said the Tiger rebels, who had launched an artillery attack to support their air mission, suffered heavy losses when Sri Lankan troops fought back. The report did not say how many rebels were killed.

A BBC report said it would be the first time the Sri Lankan military has brought down a Tiger rebel plane, one of a number of small Czech-built, two-seater, propeller-driven craft that operate from jungle airstrips.

There was no immediate reaction to the ministry's claim from the Tiger rebels on their Web sites.

Sri Lankan Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was quoted as saying victory against the Tamil rebels is certain although the road ahead remains hard.

The Tamil Tigers have been fighting for more than two decades for a separate homeland for the Tamil-speaking people in the island nation.