Police said during the fighting between the LTTE and the Security Forces early morning Thrusday artillery shells fell into the villages of Pasiur, Kolombuthurai and Gurunagar.

Three houses were also destroyed, police added.

A woman in Jaffna told Sandesaya that the villagers heard artillery fire overnight and saw the bombs in various places in Jaffna.

She said they took refuge in the nearby Kovil to see several people dead next day.

LTTE boats sunk

The military in Sri Lanka says it's sunk three boats carrying Tamil Tiger fighters in the northern Jaffna peninsula and severely damaged another.

It says eight Tamil Tigers were killed when rebels boats attacking a tiny island overnight were repelled by Sri Lankan artillery fire.

They say one soldier was killed and three are missing.

A Tamil website quoted the rebels as saying thirteen soldiers had been killed.

Claymore attack

A claymore attack in Vavuniya on a Police jeep carrying Police officers injured one Sub Inspector and two Police Constables.

The wounded admitted to the Vavuniya Hospital were later transferred to the Anuradhapura Hospital, police said