The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has pulled out of all refugee resettlement operations in Sri Lanka’s East after accusing the Government of forcibly resettling displaced Tamils in areas considered to be unsafe.

Tamil Eelam Air Force pilots after their first claimed mission. Photo LTTE

LTTE leader Velupillai Pirabakaran with Air Tigers.

The Tamil Eelam Air Force of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which has been in existence for at least nine years without the Sri Lankan intelligence having the least idea about its location and capability, went into action for the first time since its creation in the early hours of March 26. It was a conventional air attack and not a suicide mission.

A newly unveiled Tamil Tiger "air force" of between two and five light planes is no match on paper for Sri Lanka's dozen fighter jets, but they pose a proven threat the military would be ill-advised to underestimate, experts say.