Sri Lanka Air Force bombed a Tamil Tiger rebel base in the northern Jaffna peninsula on Wednesday, defense officials said.

Air Force spokesman Group Captain Ajantha Silva said that a base of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) sea wing at Pooneryn was the target.

The target was successfully taken as fire balls were seen emanating from the target, Silva said.

Meanwhile, the US Ambassador in Colombo Robert Blake said that neither the US government or other international donors would back a military solution to the island's conflict.

"The United States or any other international donor will not support a military solution. We believe in a negotiated settlement," Blake stressed.

The US envoy's comment came in response to a statement by the top defense official and brother of President Mahinda Rajapakse.

Gotabhaya Rajapakse, the defense secretary, said at a state ceremony on Monday that no political solution was possible until terrorism was completely eliminated.

He said that government troops would next move into the north in order to take on the rebels militarily. 　

(Xinhua News Agency September 20, 2007)