Sri Lanka launched air strikes against Tamil Tiger rebels today in retaliation for an attack on a bus that killed 64 people, the bloodiest violence by far since a 2002 ceasefire.
The government said the rebels detonated two mines placed side by side, spraying the packed bus with ball bearings on an isolated road near Tiger territory. Shortly after, air and artillery strikes on the rebel-held northeast coast began.
A soldier on the outskirts of Vavuniya, northern Sri Lanka, a few miles from where government troops face off against rebel Tamil Tigers. Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels carried out a mine attack on a bus carrying civilian passengers today.
In the early evening, the raids shifted to the town of Kilinochchi, headquarters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The ground shook and jet aircraft could be heard overhead, while the Tigers warned once again of a new civil war.
"If they are attacking Kilinochchi, they are showing they are ready for war," a Tamil Tiger spokesman said. The area south of the town was hit in a May air raid following an attack on the Sri Lankan Navy.
A military source said air force jets were aiming for a Tiger airstrip south of Kilinochchi that houses their fledgling air force - around three light aircraft smuggled into the country in pieces.
President Mahinda Rajapakse visited victims of the bus attack in the nearby government-held town of Anuradhapura, and said he remained committed to peace. But diplomats say the situation is getting out of control while international monitors say both sides must stop the violence.
Officials said 13 children were among the dead. Most on the bus were from the island's majority Sinhalese community.
The government said the rebels wanted to provoke an ethnic backlash against minority Tamils to support their demands for a separate Tamil homeland.
The Tigers denied involvement in the attack. Few have believed their denials of responsibility for similar attacks on the military.
More than 500 people have died since early April, and many fear the island risks a return to civil war.
Many fear the peace process is reaching its endgame. The Tigers pulled out of talks in April but had agreed to talks last week in Oslo to discuss the safety of ceasefire monitors. But on arrival, they refused to meet Sri Lankan officials.
Mediator Norway last week wrote to both sides asking them to re-commit themselves to the truce. The government replied and said it was committed, but the Tigers have yet to respond.