At least three LTTE attack craft and seven small boats were destroyed and nearly 30 Tiger cadres killed yesterday during a three-hour sea battle between the Navy and the Sea Tigers off Nachchikuda in the North Western coast, the Navy said.
A Navy spokesman said at around 11 am, the Navy’s newly formed Rapid Action Boat Squadron (RABS) and Special Boats Squadron (SBS) launched an attack on a fleet of Sea Tiger boats which came from Nachchikuda towards the western sea.
“The RABS and SBS surrounded the Sea Tiger boats and destroyed at least seven of them, killing between 25 and 30 Sea Tigers onboard,” the spokesman said adding that “this was one of the major achievements of the newly formed RABS and SBS.”
Two sailors suffered injuries during the battle, he said. “The damage to the Navy was minimal because we used new military tactics,” the spokesman said.
According to the spokesman four more Sear Tiger boats were also damaged in the attack according to intercepted Tiger communication.
Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry said that soon after the commencement of the battle Sea Tiger boats had received immediate orders to withdraw from the confrontation as the terrorists had sustained heavy damages. “The LTTE boats were led by a senior Sea Tiger cadre identified as ‘Kadar’,” it said.
The RABS is the newest boat squadron of the Navy comprising more than 100 small boats named ‘Arrow’ manufactured in Sri Lanka which can be maneuvered easily in the sea.(SJ)
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