COLOMBO: A major suicide attack by the Tamil Tiger rebels last Monday, synchronising ground and air strikes on one of the largest Air Force bases in the country indicate that the guerillas may have re-organised their terror tactics after months of lying low, analysts say.

After suffering heavy defeat for over a year and ousted from their eastern strongholds, the LTTE maybe turning to large scale ‘co-ordinated operations’, defence analysts opined after the rebels launched their surprise attack early on Monday morning on a military air base in Anuradhapura.

Opposition political parties accused the government of ‘complacency’ following the rebel onslaught which killed at least thirteen military personnel and destroyed a fleet of aircraft, including a multi-million dollar spy plane and supersonic trainer aircraft. At least twenty five rebels were killed in the heavy fighting that followed the attack, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nannayakkara said.

The pro rebel website Tamil Net carried pictures of a guerilla suicide squad, known as the Black Tigers and a group of rebel air wing members posing with LTTE leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran prior to carrying out their mission.

Twenty one Black Tiger suicide cadres led the attack supported by the LTTE air wing, Irasiah Ilanthirayan said.

Meanwhile a statement by the government military said some of the fighters were child soldiers “in the age range of 13-16 years.”

The military released photographs of the rebels killed within the air base, stating that several dead cadres in these photos, carrying suicide jackets and explosives, ‘are a classic example of violation of human rights of the worst form.’ Intelligence reports following the attack have pointed out to the possibility of the rebels having infiltrated into the Anuradhapura military base during an annual motor parade held on Sunday which according to sources over a lakh of spectators had flocked to view.

The attack by the Tiger separatists came as fighting escalated in the recent months ahead of what is believed to be a planned government offensive to retake the northern guerilla strongholds.

Air raids have been carried out at regular intervals in the past weeks on Mullativu and Killinochchi, the two districts in which the guerillas run their own de facto state and sources in the north say the weakened rebel outfit is under pressure to prove that they are still capable of fighting government troops.

“The LTTE is currently weak militarily but still has the ability to operate as a guerrilla force where only a minimum number of cadres are needed for attacks,” northern sources said stating that there are more chances of the LTTE leader, Vellupillai Prabhakaran using his cadres as ‘human bombs.’

“The rebels face a serious shortage of fighters as well as a dire lack of weapons but the LTTE has its last resort ; to use its cadres as suicide bombers”, a defence analyst opined while the military made significant structural changes in preparation against more terror strikes by the Tigers.

On Tuesday, the Army took over the security coordination of all Air Force bases around the country as the LTTE’s invasion into the Anuradhapura airbase had revealed serious security lapses on the part of the Air Force, military sources said.

President Mahinda Rajapakse also made key changes in the military high command, appointing a former army media spokesman, Major General Sanath Karunaratne as the Overall Operational Commander for Anuradhapura with immediate effect.

On Wednesday gun battles in the northern Vavuniya district were sparked by fresh guerilla attacks on a group of troops, military sources said. At least nine insurgents were believed to have been killed in the fighting, defence authorities confirmed.