LTTE chief sustained critical injuries in Nov. raid: Air chief

LTTE supremo V Prabhakaran may have sustained major injuries in the November last year aerial raid on a rebel base but reports of his treatment in India are "baseless", the Sri Lankan Air Force Chief has said.

The Air Force jets dropped 20 bombs during the air strike on the LTTE target on November 26 and they came under "very heavy anti-aircraft" fire from the rebels, Roshan Goonetilleke said participating in a political programme "Thulawa" organised by the state-owned Independent Television Network.

Goonetilleke said he was confident that Prabhakaran had been critically injured in the air strike and added that the war with the LTTE would be over "very shortly", but refrained from giving a time frame.

He, however, dismissed reports of the LTTE chief being treated in India as baseless, the 'Island' newspaper said.

The Air Force chief said he did not subscribe to the view that Prabhakaran had left the country for treatment. "A terrorist leader usually doesn't leave at a critical juncture like this as he fears that someone else might take his place."

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