Prabhakaran's son had suffered serious injuries in clashes

LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran's elder son Charles Anthony, who is believed to be among the dead, was reportedly seriously injured while commanding a contingent of the Tamil Tiger forces.

Anthony, in his twenties, could have been injured during clashes with Sri Lankan army and had undergone treatment in March, reports had said.

He was fighting the security forces alongside other prominent Tamil Tiger leaders like Banu and Lakshman, one of the arrested suicide cadres had revealed.

"Charles Anthony, eldest son of LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran is said to have been seriously wounded by artillery fire, while he was at Pudhukkudiyiruppu," army sources had said.

Thereafter, LTTE cadres took him to the no-fire zone and Prabhakaran's doctor was treating him.

Prabhakaran named his eldest son after Charles Anthony, a close and loyal confidante of his, who was killed in confrontations with the Sri Lankan Army years ago.

Prabhakaran's son, who returned from Ireland in 2006, is believed to have got a degree in aeronautical engineering and is heading the air wing and computer unit of LTTE, according to the reports.

Anthony is also believed to have played a key role in building the air wing, which surprised the Sri Lankan military with a night raid on Colombo two years ago.

The LTTE airforce came into prominence when it struck on the Sri Lankan military air base inside Colombo's international airport in March, 2007.

"Prabhakaran has two other children - a daughter Dhuwraha in her 20's and another teenager son Balachandran -- whose whereabouts aren't known.