'More than 100' Tamil Tigers killed in military offensive

At least 100 Tamil Tigers were killed in a major military offensive, according to Sri Lankan authorities. The navy's special boat squadron sank one vessel belonging to the LTTE while two others were destroyed by ground troops.Sri Lankan security forces destroyed three Tamil Tiger boats on Saturday and killed at least 18 guerrillas trying to escape a major military ground offensive, defence officials said.Tiger rebels are battling to resist an military assault that has pushed them into a 20-square-kilometre (eight-square-mile) patch of land in the northeast coastal district of Mullaittivu.The navy's special boat squadron sank one vessel belonging to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) while two others were destroyed by ground troops when they tried to beach, a military spokesman said.The military believed that at least 11 rebels were killed by the navy while another seven perished when the army directed ground fire at Tiger boats that were trying to get to shore, he said.The defence ministry said two sailors were wounded and three naval craft slightly damaged during the confrontation.The guerrillas were believed to be leaving a narrow strip of land that is still under their control when the battle erupted.Sri Lankan troops captured a key village from the Tigers on Friday after heavy fighting that left at least 44 guerrillas dead while another 13 rebels were killed elsewhere, the military said.The United Nations and foreign aid organisations say as many as 150,000 civilians may be trapped in the combat zone, although the Sri Lankan government insists the figure is less than half that.