By IANS,
Colombo : A major clash erupted Thursday between the Sri Lankan Navy and Sea Tigers in the sea off the northern coast, and official sources said a Tiger boat had been destroyed.
According to naval sources, the clash broke out when a navy attack craft pursued a cluster of Sea Tiger boats off Iranaitivu and Nachchikkuda areas around 11.00 a.m.
Nachchikkuda is a coastal village on the west of rebel-held Kilinochchi town, 320 km north of here.
“According to initial reports, one of the LTTE boats was destroyed and one more damaged in the confrontation,” a naval official said. The Sea Tigers are the naval wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
There was no immediate reaction from the rebels.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Air Force claimed that its jets and helicopter gunships Thursday pounded suspected LTTE bases in the northern Kilinochchi district in support of advancing ground troops.
Thousands have died in fighting between the LTTE and the military since late 2005. The military is presently engaged in efforts to wrest territory in the north controlled by the LTTE.