COLOMBO, May 5: At least 12 LTTE tigers were killed in clashes with the Navy off the north-eastern coast of Mulativu, military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said on Saturday.

Navy officials said two boats belonging to the rebels had been destroyed. The boats were spotted around midnight on Friday amidst a cluster of other boats, some used to carry out suicide attacks on the Navy, military sources said.

Officials said the Navy had not suffered any casualties.

“Naval troops confronted Tiger cadres aboard 26 boats in the seas off Mulativu. The flotilla included 10 large boats, 12 small boats and four suicide boats. In the ensuing fire fight, two large Sea Tiger boats were sunk by the Navy,” a statement from the military said.

The LTTE has not offered any information on the clashes.

Meanwhile, fighting on the ground continued in the north-east with the Tamil Tiger guerrillas stating they had handed over bodies of two soldiers to the ICRC.