New Delhi:
What other nasty surprise do the Tamil Tigers have up their sleeve? That's the question haunting the security establishment in Colombo a day after a daring but unsuccessful air attack carried out by two Tamil Tiger pilots in the heart of the capital on Friday.
The two light aircraft which were later shot down did not cause much damage. But the fact that the beleagured Tigers managed to reach Colombo all the way from north-west Sri Lanka without being detected, should cause some worry to the Sri Lankan military.
On record, the military maintains they expected such an attack.
Sri Lankan defence spokesperson Lakshman Hullugalle says: ",There is no embarrassment. We had expected this kind of attack. We were prepared. Yesterday's offensive was successful. Their last attempt was to attack air base of capital and also to make a huge damage in Colombo -- both attempts have failed.",
The attack on Colombo, military commanders say, will not make any difference to the military campaign in the north.
Sri Lankan army spokesperson Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara says: ",We are going ahead with our offensive as planned considering civilians have been kept as human shields.",
After a series of spectacular military victories in the past six months, the army is facing stiff resistance from the LTTE in the remaining 100 sq km of uncleared area. How long will the Tamil Tigers resist the heavy onslaught is anybody's guess but clearly the conflict in Sri Lanka is far from over yet.