The Padahuthurai bombing or Illuppaikadavai bombing happened on January 2, 2007, when the Sri Lanka Air Force bombed what they claimed to be rebel LTTE naval base in Illuppaikadavai in Northern Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, the local Roman Catholic bishop, and the LTTE claimed 15 minority Sri Lankan Tamils, including women and children, were killed and 35 injured due to the bombing. Incident Iluppaikkadavai is a small village in the Northwestern district of Mannar. It is about to the north of the town of Mannar. On the beaches near Iluppaikkadavai, at a place called "Padahuthurai", 231 people from 46 families were living in 35 huts. The residents were internally displaced people from Jaffna. Their dwellings were within of the sea. On January 1 of 2007 all families in Padahuthurai remained at home to celebrate the new year. The following day of January 2, four Israeli made Kfir jet bombers swooped down from the skies at 9:35 am. Three planes dropped four bombs each. The fourth plane dropped only two. There were twelve explosions with two bombs failing to explode. The air strike lasted ten minutes. Roughly 25 of the Padaguthurai dwellings were destroyed or damaged. The thatched roofs caught fire in many instances. About 50 - 60 people were injured. Some of them succumbed to injuries. Sri Lankan government has denied targeting civilians and claimed that it was a LTTE naval base. Reaction Sri Lankan Government The Government of Sri Lanka initially claimed that Padahuthurai was a LTTE naval base and that those who died were LTTE cadres. Subsequent to reports from a media about civilian casualties, the government later stated that those who died may have been civilians whom the rebel group were using as human shields and who were forced to work for the LTTE. LTTE Naval Base Following the attack, the Sri Lankan government stated that detailed surveillance carried out over the past few years had identified Illuppaikadavai as a LTTE Sea Tiger base. According to them since the mid 90s the LTTE has used a main base located in interior Illuppaikadavai supported by four satellite bases named Kiranchi, Sudapiddi, Vedithalthivu, and Nachchikuda on the coast which functioned as launching pads for Sea Tiger craft. On December 22, 2005, a group of Sea Tigers disguised as fishermen attacked two fibreglass dinghies of the Navy, killing three sailors off Pallimunai, Mannar. The sea tiger craft then