Sri Lanka Rebels’ Attack Backfires; 200 Are Killed : Asia: Army was alerted about simultaneous raids at four camps. Fifteen guerrilla boats sunk.

Tamil rebels suffered their worst setback in re cent years Friday when more than 200 fighters were killed during a raid on an army complex that had been alerted about the attack, military sources said.

“We had intelligence of a likely attack so we took precautions,” a senior officer in the Welioya base complex told reporters. “We detected their moves fairly early.”

The military said more than 3,000 Tamil Tigers launched simultaneous attacks on four camps at the complex on the island’s northeast seaboard.

Navy patrol craft and air force attack planes sank 15 rebel boats, including four jet-propelled speedboats captured earlier from the navy, sources said.

“The first wave of Tigers managed to land, but the navy engaged the main body,” the senior army officer said. “At first light, the air force came in full force.”

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have been fighting for a separate homeland in the north and east since 1983 in a war that has killed more than 50,000 people.

Military spokesman Brig. Sarath Munasinghe said troops found 182 rebel bodies, men and women. “But enemy casualties are believed to be much higher as we have not recovered their dead from air and naval attacks,” he said.

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Munasinghe said only two soldiers were killed and 18 wounded. Earlier reports said 14 soldiers were killed.

Two women “suicide killers” carrying explosives were shot and killed outside brigade headquarters in Welioya, Munasinghe said.

“Terrorists fired a missile at an air force helicopter, which was supporting the ground troops, but the pilots were able to avoid being hit,” he said.

The assault was launched at Kokkutuduwai, Jayasinghepura and Kokkilai on the coast and nearby Janakapura, all on the border of the north and eastern provinces, the would-be homeland of the Tamil Tigers.

Friday’s attack followed a leak to media of a government peace package for the minority Tamils. The package offered widespread autonomy to what would be a new northeast regional council for Tamils and Muslims in majority Sinhalese Sri Lanka.