Rebel Attacks Leave at Least 213 Dead in Sri Lanka

Hundreds of rebels attacked an army base and an air force headquarters simultaneously Thursday, the military said, leaving at least 213 people dead.

“Ground troops confirmed that more than 160 [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] were killed in the attack on Vavunativu army base,” the military said in a statement.

At least 48 soldiers also died in the attack by about 800 rebels on the base 135 miles east of Colombo, it said. More than 80 soldiers were wounded.

Four guerrillas and one airman were killed at the air force’s eastern headquarters, the military said.

The guerrillas blew up a bridge to prevent reinforcements from reaching the Vavunativu army base for about seven hours, the military said.

There was no immediate comment from the rebels, who are fighting for a homeland for minority Tamils, who account for 18% of Sri Lanka’s 18 million people. They accuse the Sinhalese majority of discrimination. More than 48,000 people have been killed in the 13-year-old war.

The simultaneous strikes were the first major attack since early January, when the rebels targeted the northern Paranthan army base. The military said 223 soldiers and 350 guerrillas were killed in that battle.