At least eight Tamil Tigers have been killed in air raids since Monday, Sri Lankan military officials say. The air strikes took place in a jungle near the town of Batticaloa in eastern Sri Lanka. The strikes come as government forces try to drive the Tigers from pockets that the rebels control in the north and east of the country. Tens of thousands of people have fled the recent fighting, adding to the numbers already in refugee camps. In the first attack on Monday, jets bombed what the air force says was a Tamil Tiger base. The Sri Lankan military spokesman, Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe, said eight rebels were killed, including a rebel instructor and intelligence officer. The Tamil Tigers, who are fighting for an independent homeland in the north and east of Sri Lanka, have confirmed there was an attack. But they deny suffering any casualties. The war planes were in action again on Tuesday. Their target was a gathering of rebels in the same area, the military says. There has been no confirmation on whether anyone on the ground had been killed.
Since last week the Sri Lankan security forces have been moving to drive the Tigers from the area to the west of Batticaloa town. Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes as the fighting spread, swelling the numbers of refugees in the district to well over 100,000. International aid agencies say they are concerned for the safety of local people, adding that there are reports that shelling is taking place in populated areas.