Sri Lanka's government and Tamil Tiger guerrillas have each claimed victory after a naval clash that officials said left more than 40 people dead or missing. The Tigers also threatened retaliation if air force bombing continued. SP Thamilselvan, the Tigers' political wing leader, said the military attacks "would only lead Sri Lanka to a fatal war".Sri Lankan jets pounded guerrilla targets on Thursday and Friday in response to an attack on a civilian bus that killed 64 people in the worst violence since a 2002 ceasefire, raising fears of an imminent return to civil war. Thamilselvan denied the separatist group had anything to do with the bus bombing. The government said on Saturday that the air strikes had ceased.
But officials said more than 40 people were dead or missing in a clash in the northeastern Mannar district, while suspected Tiger frogmen were captured and attempted suicide near the capital. A military spokesman said eight Tiger boats were destroyed by government naval fire. "They attacked the navy and police. We think 20-25 LTTE cadres are dead. Four navy sailors were also killed and one civilian succumbed to his wounds. Three naval craft were slightly damaged," the spokesman said. But another military source said the government toll could be higher, with eight naval special forces troops missing.