Colombo: The Sri Lankan Army claims to have thwarted a major infiltration bid by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on their defence lines on Sunday and killed 34 of the rebels in a fierce clash in Mullaittivu. Seven others LTTE cadres were killed by the Sri Lankan Navy.
The Navy, too, destroyed two boats of the LTTE in the northern seawaters, 10 nautical miles north-east of Mullaittivu, Defence sources said.
''The Sri Lankan Navy's Fast Attack Craft, deployed in the inner barrier of the surveillance and patrolling in the north-eastern seas, intercepted two low profile LTTE boats launched from Palamaththalan, Mullaittivu, and destroyed them completely directing heavy gun fire,'' the Ministry of Defence said.
It said bodies of two LTTE cadres, killed in the clash, were recovered ''and six other LTTE cadres believed to have been killed due to the attack''.
The Defence Ministry said that the naval fortifications have been strengthened to cut off the escape of the LTTE cadres by sea and prevent the unloading of arms and ammunition on the north-eastern coast.
Meanwhile, the total number of civilians who have poured out of Sri Lanka's warzone in the last four days is now nearly 14,000.
The number of civilians trapped in fighting between the military and cornered LTTE rebels has picked up sharply.
More than 50,000 Sri Lankan Army soldiers are in Sri Lanka's northeast jungles to crush the LTTE, which is now estimated to have no more than 2,000 hardcore fighters.
(With inputs from UNI)
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