COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, December 20, SPA -- Sri Lanka's navy sank a TamilTiger rebel ship and four smaller attack boats in a battlethat killed 20 guerrillas off the northeastern coast earlySaturday, the military was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. The naval attack came amid a sharp escalation in the25-year-old civil war between government forces and theethnic Tamil rebels. Government troops in recent monthshave made dramatic progress in fighting the rebels in thenorth, seizing a series of guerrilla bases and swaths ofterritory. The sea clash erupted after naval patrol vessels spottedthe rebel ship at about 2 a.m. on Saturday some 70 nauticalmiles off the coast, said navy spokesman Cmdr. MaheshKarunaratne. He said when navy boats approached the suspicious ship,«it increased speed and tried to flee» while firing. Navy boats retaliated and destroyed the ship in a battlethat lasted about two hours, he said. He said the 100-foot (30-meter) vessel was carrying armsand war materials for the rebels. Four boats that came to the support of the ship were alsodestroyed, he said, adding at least 20-25 rebels werekilled. The navy did not suffer casualties, he said. The rebels could not be reached for comment.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/617769