Bandaranaike Airport attack | |||||||
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Part of the Sri Lankan Civil War | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Sri Lanka Air Force | LTTE Black Tigers | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Chandrika Kumaratunga Air Chief Marshal Jayalath Weerakkody Air Commodore R.A. Ananda Wing Commander Bhuvanaka Abeysuriya |
Velupillai Prabhakaran Pottu Amman Colonel Charles | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
1 airforce garrison | 14 suicide commandos | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
7 Soldiers killed, 12 soldiers wounded Aircraft destroyed: 1 Mi-17 attack helicopter, 1 Mi-24 attack helicopter, 3 K-8 jet trainers, 2 Kfir fighter jets, 1 MiG-27 fighter jet, 2 Airbus A330s, 1 Airbus A320, 1 Airbus A340 Aircraft damaged: 5 K-8 jet trainers, 5 Kfir fighter jets, 1 MiG-27 fighter jet, 1 Airbus A340, 1 Airbus A320 1 other military aircraft | 14 Black Tigers killed |
The Bandaranaike International Airport attack was a suicide raid Black Tigers of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on 24 July 2001 on the Sri Lanka Air Force base SLAF Katunayake and the adjoining Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake, Sri Lanka. The attack was one of the boldest the LTTE mounted during its war with the Sri Lankan government, and had a profound impact on the country's military, economy, and airline industry.