The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Colombo

Sri Lanka's navy Wednesday clashed with rebel Tamil Tiger vessels off the island's northern coast of Jaffna, sinking 11 rebel boats and leaving at least 40 guerrillas dead, the defence ministry said.

A dozen naval fast attack craft, backed by helicopter gunships and Israeli-built Kfir fighter jets, confronted a flotilla of 16 rebel boats, the military said.

"The navy destroyed 11 Tiger boats, including two suicide boats during the operation. We estimate around 40 Tigers were on those boats and they have been killed," military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said. Sri Lanka's defence ministry said the boats of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were attempting to transport arms to rebels off Delft island.

The military did not give its own casualty figures but said one naval craft was damaged during the explosion when the two rebel boats were destroyed.

However, the rebels claimed they had sunk a navy fast attack craft and damaged two naval boats during the sea battle which lasted nearly three hours, the pro-rebel Tamilnet.com web site reported.

"Four Black Sea Tigers were killed in action," Tamilnet.com said quoting rebel military spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiriyan.

Both sides regularly make sharply differing claims about casualties and independent verification is rarely possible.