Sri Lankan military continues offensive against Tamil Tiger

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Source: CCTV.com | 02-02-2009 10:45

The Sri Lankan military continues its offensive against Tamil Tiger positions.

The government has ruled out a ceasefire in the northern war zone where hundreds of thousands of civilians are reported to be trapped.

A Sri Lankan soldier on patrol in Mullaittivu -- the former military headquarters of the Tamil Tiger rebels. (AFP/File/Ishara S. Kodikara)

The military says it destroyed a Tamil Tiger suicide boat and found a well-fortified and high-profile Tamil Tiger hideout during what it describes as a "mop-up operation".

Sri Lankan television SLRC said the hideout with an underground bunker, was frequented by Tamil Tiger's senior leaders.

The military says it is now close to destroying the Tigers, who are cornered into a small 300-square-kilometer coastal territory. But the fighting has also left many civilians trapped in the area controlled by the Tigers, some 250-thousand according to the Red Cross.

The government disputes that figure, saying less than 120,000 civilians are in the war zone.

Sri Lanka has imposed a naval and land blockade to prevent rebels escaping the area.

More than 70-thousand people have been killed in the civil war, which grew out of complaints by Tamils.

Across the narrow strait from Sri Lanka, India has been demanding protection of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei