Sri Lanka 's air force bombs Tamil Tiger rebel base in the north, military says

 Sri Lanka - 's air force bombed a Tamil Tiger rebel base Saturday in the country's volatile north, the military said.
The raid targeted a guerrilla base and operations coordination center in northern district of Mannar, the defense ministry said in a statement. It did not specify any damage or casualties caused by the bombing.

The rebels' spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment on the military's claim.

The Tamil Tigers have been fighting since 1983 to create an independent homeland for ethnic minority Tamils after decades of being marginalized by majority Sinhalese-dominated governments. The fighting has killed more than 70,000 people.

The military announced last year that it had cleared the country's eastern province of rebels. Since then, it has focused on dismantling the Tamil Tigers' de facto administration in the north