Sri Lanka says 12 Tiger boats sunk in naval clash

Sri Lanka's navy sank 12 Tamil Tiger craft in a naval battle off the island's northern tip and dozens of rebels, including suicide fighters, are believed to have been killed, the military said yesterday.

The clash at sea near the besieged army-held Jaffna peninsula comes amid five weeks of intense fighting after four years of ceasefire, and as the army seeks to wrest control of rebel territory near a strategic port in the island's northeast.

"It was a major attack. There were 20 rebel boats. We were able to destroy 12 LTTE craft, including five LTTE suicide boats," a military spokesman told Reuters. "They were humiliated in their so-called seas and withdrew."

He said he believed at least 75 Tigers had been killed, but there was no independent confirmation. A pro-rebel Website said two navy boats were sunk in the confrontation, but officials laughed off the claim. The military spokesman said two sailors were injured and two navy fast-attack boats were slightly damaged by gunfire in the battle, which raged through the night and into the early hours yesterday.