COLOMBO, April 24 (Xinhua) -- The military in Sri Lanka said on Thursday that its Air Force launched an attack against Tamil Tiger rebel's target in the north.

    Officials from Ministry of Defense said that the Air Force fighter jets made precision air sorties at an LTTE's (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) "Black Tiger" (suicide bombers) training facility at Pannikkankulama in Mullaittiuvu district at around 06:20 a.m. local time (0050 GMT).

    The air strike followed a fierce confrontation between the two side on Wednesday killing 43 soldiers and 81 rebels at Muhamalai in the Jaffna peninsula.

    Another 33 soldiers were missing, more than 120 others were injured while 196 rebel were also injured in the battle, the military said early.

    Pro-rebel sources said at least 150 government soldiers were killed and more than 400 were wounded in action.

    Sources close to the government disclosed that more than 200 fighters might have been killed on each side during the fierce battle.

    The troops claimed in July last year that the entire Eastern Province had been free of the rebels and began to engage the LTTE in the north.

    Claiming discrimination at the hands of the majority Sinhalese government, the LTTE has been fighting against the government since the mid-1980s to establish an independent homeland for the minority Tamils, resulting in the death of more than 70,000 people in the country.