Fall of Kilinochichi

Tiger capital falls, bomber hits back

Colombo, Jan. 2: Sri Lankan troops today captured the Tamil Tigers’ headquarter town in one of the biggest setbacks for the rebels in years, but an hour later a suicide bomber killed three airmen in the capital Colombo.

Troops fought their way into Kilinochchi deep in the north, days after Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam chief Velupillai Prabhakaran declared the town would not fall. There was no immediate word on Prabhakaran, who is blamed for Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination.

“A short while ago, our brave and heroic troops have fully captured Kilinochchi that was considered the main bastion of the LTTE,” President Mahinda Rajapaksa said in a televised address. “For the last time, I call upon the LTTE to lay down their arms and surrender.”

Across Colombo, people lit crackers, danced in the streets and waved Lankan flags.

But within an hour of Rajapaksa’s statement, a suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber on a motorcycle struck near the air force headquarters in Colombo. Three airmen were killed and 37 people wounded.

Analysts said the fall of Kilinochchi, and other bases, could make the capital and the far south more vulnerable as the rebels move to guerrilla warfare.

“Particularly after the humiliating defeat at Kilinochchi they will try to use their striking capability outside the theatre of conflict in a bigger way,” said Iqbal Athas, an analyst with Jane’s Defence Weekly.

The Tigers could not be reached for comment but they have in the past vowed to fight on even if Kilinochchi, home to a parallel rebel-led administration with its own police, courts, prisons and taxes, falls.

Tamil Tiger political leader Balasingham Nadesan had said on Tuesday the rebels began as a guerrilla group and would be able to keep fighting even if they lost much of the territory they controlled in the north.

Pro-rebel website www.tamilnet.com said the Tigers had moved their headquarters further northeast before the town fell. “The Sri Lanka Army has entered a virtual ghost town,” it said.

Troops entered Kilinochchi this morning, said Lakshman Hulugalle, a military spokesman. Senior military officials said their forces met only minimal resistance once in the town.

Details of casualties from the fighting were not immediately available.

The army first captured Kilinochchi from the rebels in 1996, but lost it in 1998

The Tamilnadu politicians led by Karunanidhi have been crying hoarse and requesting the centre to intervene in Sri Lanka to halt the Srilankan offensive.
The centre should not listen to them.
Rajiv Gandhi and signed an agreement with President Jaywardne which was very favouarable to the Tamil aspirations. But Pirabhakaran did not recognize a good deed . All the Tamil politicians, including Karunanidhi clamoured for nulling of the agreement and withdrawal of the IPKF (Indian Peace keeping Force). The IPKF was withdrawn in disgrace from Sri Lanka.
AND POOR RAJEEV GANDHI WAS ASSASSINATED BY A TAMIL WOMAN HUMAN BOMBER.
No country would like to be dictated by outsiders on how it should treat it minority population, whether it be on the basis of language or religion.
We never like to be lectured by Pakistan or the US on how we should treat our minorities
Please let the Tamil population of Sri Lanka work out the way it would like to live with the majority Sinalese without external pressure.
With the removal of LTTE from the scene the other peace loving political parties can act more freely, without fear of being murdered by Pirabhakaran and his gang of bandits.

Radheshyam