Sri Lanka's navy clashed with Tamil Tiger rebels at sea on Saturday, each claiming to have sunk the other's vessels, while police said a rebel ambush on land killed five soldiers and four civilians died in ensuing gunfire.
The navy said it sank three Tiger boats off the north-western Mannar peninsula, while the rebels said they sank two navy boats and killed 10 sailors in the incident.
Both sides claimed their vessels were all intact, and denied fatalities on their side.
Military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said small navy patrol craft engaged the Tiger vessels off the Mannar peninsula, and that helicopter gunships were called in to help.
"Three LTTE boats were sunk, and four navy sailors have gunshot injuries, but their craft are intact," Samarasinghe said."
Police said five soldiers were killed in a separate incident when suspected Tigers ambushed an army truck in the northern district of Vavuniya, and four civilians were killed and 10 others wounded in a gunbattle that followed.
"Four civilians died of gunshot injuries. There were two parties firing. Some of the injured said the army opened fire," said Rohan Siriwardene, deputy inspector general of police in Vavuniya district.
He said it was not clear whether the civilians were killed by army or rebel fire.
The Tigers denied mounting the ambush, and said their ships were attacked by the navy as they conducted exercises.
"We sank two of their inshore patrol craft," Tiger military spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiraiyan told Reuters by telephone from the northern rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi.
"Our boats are very small, so any attempt by the air force to sink them will not be fruitful," he added. "Following the confrontation, our boats have continued with their sea exercises as planned."
Fighting now occurs near daily in the north and east, where the Tigers run a de facto state they want recognised as a separate homeland for minority Tamils.