SRI LANKAN troops have fought their way into the last town held by the Tamil Tiger separatist guerrillas, according to government sources.
Small groups of soldiers and rebels yesterday fought house-to-house through the streets of Puthukkudiyiruppu, on a narrow strip of land in the island’s north-east, controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
“The LTTE are now down to less than 500 fighters . . . after [Puthukkudiyiruppu] they will be left with just the jungles,” said military spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara. The Sri Lankan army allowed a Reuters journalist into the battle zone, offering a rare insight into a war that has been largely off limits to journalists. Brig Shavendra Silva was quoted as saying the town was “the last objective” and was measuring the war in days, not weeks.
Troops under his command were less than four miles from the eight-mile no-fire zone that the army established on Sri Lanka’s northeastern coast. The UN estimates that 200,000 people are trapped in this thin strip of land and human rights groups have accused the Sri Lankan army of shelling civilians.
The government says the number of Tamils there is closer to 70,000 and disputes that its troops have targeted civilians, blaming instead the Tigers for shooting anyone who tries to flee.
Puthukkudiyiruppu’s fall would be a long-awaited breakthrough, capping a series of big gains for the Sri Lankan army in a war that was widely seen as unwinnable. The Tigers have not lost in three wars with the Sri Lankan military.
However, in recent weeks, the rebels have lost their one-time political capital, Kilinochchi, and their main military base in Mullaittivu. A sign of their desperation came this week when they called for an internationally-brokered truce.
Since August 2006, Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa has poured in weapons and manpower into defeating the rebels. His government’s defence budget eats up a fifth of all spending.