Sri Lanka sinks 12 Tiger boats in naval clash

Colombo, Sep 2: Sri Lanka's navy sank 12 Tamil Tiger craft overnight in a fierce naval battle off the island's northern tip, the military said today, adding that it believed it had killed dozens of rebel fighters.

''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.''

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were not immediately available for comment on the clash at sea near the besieged army-held Jaffna peninsula, which comes amid a five-week bout of renewed civil war after four years of ceasefire.

Reuters

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