Lanka army seizes Tiger nerve centre

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's military on Tuesday seized control of a town that served as a "nerve centre" for separatist Tamil Tiger rebels, on a second day of fighting that killed at least 50 people along the nation's northern frontline. The capture of Mallavi town from Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam guerrillas was the latest thrust by Sri Lanka's armed forces in an intensified offensive in recent weeks aimed at encircling the rebels and crushing them by year's end. Soldiers from the 57th Division overran "the LTTE's most strategic bastion at Mallavi ... following weeks-long heavy confrontation," the defence ministry said. Earlier on Tuesday, the military said it had captured three-quarters of Mallavi. It published pictures showing troops in Mallavi's centre around a Sri Lankan flag which it said had been raised in place of a Tamil Tiger flag. The military also showed photos of a hospital which it said was used as a command centre in Mallavi, which is at the junction of roads the army says the Tigers use to ferry supplies.
SOURCE : TOI