The pre dawn LTTE sea Tiger attack on the Delft Island was successfully repulsed by the Navy killing 18 Sea Tigers and destroying 4 LTTE boats. Intercepted LTTE communication revealed that 18 Sea Tiger cadres including 4 leaders had been killed and another large number injured, the Navy confirmed.
18 Sea Tiger boats, including 6 suicide boats and 12 attack craft attempted to breach a Navy security point south of the Delft Island around 00.30 a.m. this morning (24). Naval Fast Attack Craft patrolling the seas off the Delft shore and naval ground troops engaged the flotilla of Sea Tiger boats inflicting severe damages to the Sea Tigers and their boats.
Navy's Dovra Fast Attack Craft completely destroyed two LTTE Sea Tiger boats forcing the enemy flotilla to flee towards Nachchikuda, South East of the Delft Island.
The Air Force engaged withdrawing Sea Tiger boats destroying two and disabling another.
The Navy reiterates that no naval craft were destroyed or damaged in the attack as claimed by pro LTTE media. 4 sailors who were deployed on the Delft Island were killed in the confrontation. While another 4 sustained injuries.
The search operation launched by naval troops in Delft following the attack concluded by noon today.
Delft Island is totally under the control of the Sri Lanka Navy. All the Islets in the Jaffna peninsula are under the control of the Sri Lanka Navy.
The Navy says that the Delft Island is a vital surveillance point in the Island's west coast to monitor LTTE arms smuggling from Tamil Nadu, India. The Navy believes that the Sea Tigers would have attempted to breach Delft defences to disrupt naval surveillance that has helped in blocking LTTE sea piracy and smuggling of weapons and explosives in to the Island's north and east.