Colombo - Air force fighter jets bombed the Tamil rebel intelligence command and control centre in northern Sri Lanka, the Defence Ministry said Wednesday.

The centre is 1 kilometre west of Kilinochchi and 320 kilometres north of Colombo and was regularly frequented by rebel intelligence wing leader Pottu Amman, the ministry said.

A high-profile meeting of the rebels was taking place at the time of the bombing, air force spokesman Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara said, but he did not say whether Pottu Amman was present or give any details on casualties.

The spokesman said that since the bombing, rebel communications has ceased.

Pottu Amman is a key figure in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which is fighting for an autonomous homeland for the Tamil ethnic minority. He is among those accused in the 1991 assassination of Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

The bombing occurred a day after Tamil rebels launched a ground and airstrike on a military complex in Vavuniya, 240 kilometres north of Colombo, killing 10 soldiers and a civilian.

The pro-rebel Tamilnet website said 10 rebel "Black Tigers," or suicide attackers, were killed.

At least two rebel aircraft targeted the radar system and runway at the air force complex and one was shot down later off Mullaitivu, 60 kilometres from the base.

The military claimed it has moved into the rebels' final two stronghold districts in the north, the last to be held by the rebels after the military recaptured rebel-held territory in eastern Sri Lanka last year. The Defence Ministry has ordered all international and local non-governmental organizations carrying out relief work in rebel-held areas to leave, citing "safety concerns."

The UN office in Colombo said it was reviewing the relocation of the humanitarian staff. (dpa)