COLOMBO — A Sri Lankan airstrike pounded a meeting of top rebel leaders early today, killing the head of the Tamil Tigers’ political wing and five others in an attack seen as a major victory for the government in its long fight with the guerrillas.

The killing of S.P. Tamilselvan, assumed by many to be the secretive group’s second in command, was certain to badly damage the rebels’ morale nearly two weeks after they stunned the government with a devastating attack on an air base.

“This is a message that we know their leaders’ location,” Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said. “This confirms that our information is very accurate.”

Another five rebel leaders were killed in the bombing, according to a statement from the rebel group that was e-mailed to reporters and confirmed Tamilselvan’s death. Rebel spokesmen did not answer phone calls seeking further comment.

In a separate attack, Sri Lankan jets pounded a camp belonging to the Black Tigers, the rebel group’s suicide fighters, in Iranamadu in the rebel-held Kilinochchi district, an air force spokesman, Group Captain Ajantha Silva, said.

The suicide unit has been the target of repeated airstrikes since its attack on the Anuradhapura air base last week killed 14 soldiers, destroyed eight aircraft and left the government trying to explain how the rebels were able to infiltrate a key military facility.

The military initially gave no details of casualties from either strike, but later confirmed that Tamilselvan had been killed.

With secretive Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran almost never seen publicly in recent years, Tamilselvan had become the rebel leadership’s link to the outside world.

He regularly held talks with peace envoys and diplomats, met with foreign humanitarian workers, and gave interviews to the few international journalists allowed by the government to cross into rebel-held territory in the north.

He headed the group’s delegation at the failed peace talks in Geneva last year.