COLOMBO, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's government troops who are on the forward march in the island's north have captured a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) airstrip, defense officials said Wednesday.

The 200-meter-long and 20-meter-wide airstrip was located 15 km east of Mankulam, a town captured this week by the Army's Task Force 3. This was the 3rd rebel airstrip that has fallen under government control in the current military operations, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told reporters. 

The LTTE using its light aircraft have carried out some eight air raids on different locations since March 2007.

Meanwhile the Sri Lanka Airforce had conducted three separate air raids Wednesday morning, the Airforce spokesman Janaka Nanayakkara said.  

Nanayakkara added that the raids successfully targeted Paranthan and Muhamalai forward defense lines of the rebels.

Courtesy; Xinhuanet.com