IANS
Colombo, May 13: An attempt by Tamil separatist rebels to carry out a suicide attack on government troops by sea off northeast Sri Lanka was foiled Wednesday with security forces sinking at least three boats, a military spokesman said.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) sent four suicide boats to attack the forward defences of a newly recaptured area in a so-called safety zone, an area meant for civilians to gather when fleeing the final rebel-held area in the country.
More than 20,000 civilians are estimated to be present in the rebel-held territory of less than six square kilometres on the coast of the Mullaitivu district, 395 km northeast of Colombo. The government is conducting an offensive to capture the area and defeat the LTTE, which has been fighting for 25 years for an independent homeland for the Tamil ethnic minority.
More than 450 civilians have been killed in the area since the weekend with the government and the LTTE each blaming one another for the casualties.
A Red Cross attempt to evacuate the injured failed Tuesday because of the ongoing fighting.