COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Aug 13, SPA -- Troops killed three Tamil Tiger rebels in a gunfight and sank a rebel boat in a separatesea battle as fighting flared in Sri Lanka's northeast, themilitary said Monday. The fighting started late Sunday when the Sri Lankan navyfound two clusters of Tamil Tiger boats _ about a dozen inall _ moving toward the Pulmoddai area on the northeastcoast, said military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe. When the naval boats went to investigate, the rebel craftattacked, sparking a three-hour sea battle, the militarysaid. It said one Tiger boat was sunk and several others wereseriously damaged. The fighting killed «probably around 10 cadres ... 10 to12,» said Samarasinghe. There was no independentconfirmation of the casualties, the Associated Press reported. An hour after the sea battle began, the army launched anattack on a group of rebels in the Pulmoddai area who itbelieved were waiting to be picked up by the boats,Samarasinghe said. The ensuing gunfight killed three rebelsand a soldier, he said.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/474658