Tamils Sink Ship After Military Ends Offensive

Less than a day after the military ended its biggest offensive in eight years against Tamil rebels, the guerrillas sank a Sri Lankan ship with two underwater mines at a naval base in the northern Jaffna peninsula early today, military sources said.

Eight sailors were injured--two critically--aboard the command ship Edithara when scuba divers infiltrated the base at which the warship was berthed and exploded two mines on its hull, an official said.

The suicide attack could indicate that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam intend to maintain attempts to recapture territory they lost last week in a six-day government offensive that ended Saturday and left at least 300 dead.

The attack by more than 10,000 soldiers, plus tanks, jets and gunboats, brought the military within four miles of the rebel stronghold of Jaffna and captured 30 square miles of rebel territory, the military said.

On Friday, advancing government troops repulsed a major guerrilla counterattack, killing at least 62 rebels, officials said.

A statement from the rebels’ London office said more than 245 civilians were killed in the offensive. They urged the international community to condemn the attack.

The minority Tamils have been fighting for a homeland in Sri Lanka since 1983. They have accused the majority Sinhalese of denying them education, jobs and development money.