| Somebody got upset ... |
The air force also bombed areas near the rebelsÂ’ northern headquarters, a rebel spokesman said.
The patrol boat was part of a convoy escorting a troop carrier that was attacked by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels, navy spokesman Commander D.K.P. Dassanayake said. “About 15 LTTE boats including suicide boats attacked one of our vessels transporting 710 soldiers,” Dassanayake said. “Navy fast-attack boats escorting the vessel engaged the Tiger boats and one of them was destroyed by a suicide boat,” he said. “There were 15 to 20 sailors in the boat.”
The military sank five rebel vessels in retaliation, it said.
Helen Olafsdottir, spokeswoman for the European-led Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, said a truce monitor was in the vessel with the soldiers. Other details were not immediately available, she said. In a statement, the monitors accused the rebels of violating their 2002 cease-fire agreement with the government and said they considered the attack a direct threat to their mission.
“The LTTE has made what SLMM feels are threats to our monitors, warning them not to participate in patrols in navy vessels,” the monitors said. “This sort of reckless behavior can only lead to a dangerous escalation resulting in growing hostilities and jeopardizing any possibility for future peace talks,” they said.
| Gee, no kidding. You Euros might want to skedaddle for a while ... |