Sri Lankan Army Surrounds Rebel Leader

Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader of the Tamil Tigers, has been surrounded by the Sri Lankan army in a small patch of jungle. Photo by thisislondon.co.uk

The leader of the Tamil Tiger rebels, Velupillai Prabhakaran, is alive and surrounded by government troops, the Sri Lankan military has said.

Prabhakaran is guarded by about 200 rebels and encircled by Sri Lankan troops in a small patch of jungle, a military spokesman said on local television, cited by the BBC.

Sri Lankan forces have routed the rebels in the past few weeks, bringing a 26-year war to its conclusion. Earlier, four senior rebel leaders were killed in fighting, the army said.

They are said to include the head of the Tigers' political wing, Balasingham Nadesan, the head of rebels' peace secretariat Seevaratnam Puleedevan, and a military leader known as Ramesh.

The army also says it has found the body of Prabhakaran's son, Charles Anthony.

The latest claims cannot be verified as reporters are barred from the war zone.

 

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