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Five LTTE boats destroyed,
six rebels captured

The navy's fast attack craft, which took on a flotilla of LTTE boats about 32 nautical miles northeast off Mullaitivu in northern Sri Lanka, were assisted by gunboats from Trincomalee and Kankesanturai, the defence ministry said.

While four rebel boats were destroyed by the navy, three boats fled the scene, but air force jets destroyed one of them while it was moving towards the beach.

The ministry said four naval ratings were wounded and the navy's attack craft suffered some damage.

It said six rebels, the crew of the destroyed boats, were fished out of the waters and sent for treatment.

A military spokesman said a rebel boat was spotted at Puttumattalan, 11 km away from Mullaitivu. But the air force refrained from targeting it as civilians were unloading its supplies.

This is the second major sea battle on the Mullaitivu coast this week. A confrontation on April 16 left two rebels dead, an LTTE boat was sunk and four vessels damaged.

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