COLOMBO: Striking from the air for the first time, the LTTE on Monday bombed a major military airbase adjacent to Sri Lanka's international airport killing three airmen and injuring 16 others.

In the pre-dawn strike, the Tamil tigers used two light aircraft to target the Katunayake military airbase, about 35 km north of Colombo. There were speculations that the airplanes could be microlight aircraft. The LTTE deployed aircraft for the first time in a combat mission to attack the military base, rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiriyan said.

"This mission was undertaken to reduce the air capability of the Sri Lankan air force," he said adding that the Tigers will resort to more such attacks against the military. Sri Lanka's military admitted that the Tigers had used their aircraft for the first time to strike at targets.

"One of the LTTE aircraft had flown over the airbase and dropped some explosive items," air force spokesman Ajantha Silva said. He said damage to the military facility was "minor." A hangar and two parked helicopters were damaged in the attack.

Silva said air defense systems were activated following the attack. The government said the Bandaranaike international airport, which shares a boundary with the airbase, was not affected by the attack. Sri Lanka's foreign ministry spokesman Ravinatha Aryasinha said the airport was closed as a precautionary measure.