Sri Lankan troops enter Mullaittivu

Colombo: Making the final push into the Tamil Tiger-held territory, Sri Lankan troops today entered the garrison town of Mullaittivu, the last remaining urban stronghold of the rebels in the embattled north, the military said.

The Army's 59 Division soldiers fought their way into the town amid fierce resistance by the LTTE and were waging separate battles with groups of rebel fighters. Most of the remaining rebel cadres were presumed to be in the surrounding jungle areas.

Troops made a surprise attack across the Nanthikandal lagoon and entered Mullaittivu this morning, the military cited "battlefield sources" as saying. The town fell to the rebels in 1996 and since then the LTTE had established its main military base there.

End of LTTE in sight, say Sri Lankan military

The town is situated in a narrow stretch of land between Nanthikandal lagoon and the Indian Ocean.

Once the mop-up operation is completed, the area will be declared "liberated", the sources said.

The fall of Mullaittivu would mean the rebels had lost the last town under their control. The advancing troops captured the de facto LTTE capital of Kilinochchi and the strategic Elephant Pass earlier this month.

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