Tamil rebels on 07-24-2001 staged a suicide attack against Sri Lanka's tightly-guarded international airport and the adjoining air base, destroying 13 aircraft and leaving 20 people dead.
An estimated 15 to 20 guerrillas of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) penetrated the air force base at Katunayake and went on to bomb aircraft at the Bandaranaike international airport.
The defence ministry said at least 13 rebels were killed while seven security personnel also died at the airport and the airbase.Another 12, including four civilians were wounded. No foreign tourists were hurt.
Both the airport and the airbase which share a common perimeter were closed after the attack as an inquiry was launched into how Tigers managed to breach two high-security zones that are among the most tightly guarded.
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