Sri Lankan navy confronts with Sea Tigers in Trincomalee seas
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
New Delhi, July 8, IRNA
Sri Lanka-Sea Tigers-Navy
Sri Lankan navy and the Sea Tigers clashed in the eastern Trincomalee district late last night, with the navy claiming that it had repulsed a two-pronged rebel attack both on land and sea.
The clash erupted in the eastern seas when a flotilla of over 15 Sea Tiger boats confronted a fleet of Fast Attack Craft (FAC) of the Sri Lankan Navy while a another group LTTE cadres mounted a simultaneous attack on the ground troop at Kallaru in Trincomalee last night, UNI reported here quoting Lankan Defense Ministry sources.
"The Navy had engaged them with Dvora Fast attack Craft and the Sea Tigers fled towards Nayaru," the Defense Ministry said, adding that the ground troops have also successfully countered the LTTE attack.
"Navy troops confirm that the LTTE had sustained severe casualties and are conducting a search operation in the area," it said, but gave no details of casualties on both sides.
Although there was no immediate reaction from the LTTE pro-LTTE website reports quoting LTTE sources in Kilinochchi claimed that the mid-sea battle broke out when the naval Fast Attack Crafts 'attempted to intrude into the waters south of Mullaitivu Saturday midnight'.
"Three Dvora FACs were damaged in the clash. Two Sea Tigers were killed in action," the pro-rebel web reports claimed, adding that the fighting has lasted over three hours.
In a separate clash between the navy and the LTTE on Saturday evening at Kuchchaweli also in the Trincomalee district, three LTTE cadres had been killed, the Defense Ministry said, adding that the naval troops on a subsequent search operation have recovered a rebel dead body and weapons left behind the by the rebels.
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