SLN, Sea Tigers clash in the seas off Pulmoaddai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 July 2007, 01:19 GMT]
A 3-hour long sea-fight ensued between the Sea Tigers and the Sri Lanka Navy in the seas off Pulmoaddai after SLN Fast Attack Crafts (FACs) attempted to intrude into the waters south of Mullaiththeevu Saturday midnight, LTTE officials in Ki'linochchi told media Sunday. 3 Dvora FACs were damaged in the clash. Two Sea Tigers were killed in action. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Army along the Northern Front in Jaffna peninsula continued intensive artillery and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) fire towards the LTTE controlled areas for more than 12 hours from 4:00 p.m. Saturday.

21 SLN vessels, most of them Dvora FACs, took part in the SLN naval mission.

The SLN vessels were chased towards the east port harbour by the Sea Tigers amid heavy artillery fire from the Sri Lanka Army from the shores of Koki'laay, Kokkuththoduvaay, and Pulmoaddai.

The damaged Dvora FACs were towed into east port harbour by the SLN, according to the Tigers.

Sri Lankan military officials in Colombo are yet to realease any details of the clashes.