Sri Lankan fighter jets attacked a rebel boat off the coast and pounded other rebel targets Monday in support of a ground offensive aimed at crushing the Tamil Tigers, the military said, according to Associated Press. The airstrikes followed weeks of fierce ground fighting in the region, with the rebels saying Sunday they had killed 60 government troops the day before. The military denied the claim, saying it lost 12 soldiers in the fighting. Either way, with seasonal monsoons hampering new offensives, the military appears to be relying increasingly on its air power to keep the pressure on the rebels and aid troops on the ground. In the latest attacks Monday, air force jets hit an attack craft used by the Tamil Tiger naval wing off the country's east coast, the military said. Fighter jets also attacked rebel targets in the Mullaittivu and Kilinochchi districts in support of ground troops.
