Rebel group says 26 sailors killed
Separatist Tamil Tigers clashed with the Sri Lankan navy and air force off the northern Jaffna peninsula, and the rebel group said it had killed 26 sailors, captured four others and sunk a naval vessel.
Tamil Tigers spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan said five members of the group also died in the attack.
Military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said the navy, assisted by the air force, destroyed 22 rebel boats. He gave no casualty figures, and the rebel report could not be independently verified.
Early today, the navy said it destroyed two rebel boats in another clash, killing six Tigers.
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