Rebels Attack Navy; Casualty Figures Differ
From Times Wire Reports
The navy and Tamil Tiger rebels clashed near a naval base in Sri Lanka’s northwest, leaving 17 combatants dead, the government said.
Helicopter gunships helped the navy sink two rebel boats and repulse the guerrilla attack, said navy spokesman Cmdr. D.K.P. Dassanayake. He said the 45-minute encounter left 12 rebels and five sailors dead.
However, rebel spokesman Daya Master said from the northern town of Kilinochchi that only one guerrilla died and that the rebels killed seven sailors and sank one boat.
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