COLOMBO: Sri Lankan troops battling Tamil rebels on Monday captured a part of the highly strategic Elephants Pass, a causeway linking the northern Jaffna peninsula to the mainland, the military said.
Military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said the southern part of the causeway fell to government troops advancing northwards from Kilinochchi, the political headquarters of the Tamil Tigers, which was captured by the army on Friday.
"Troops are now consolidating in the southern part of Elephant Pass," he said.
Tamil Tiger rebels had held the Elephant Pass since April 2000. There was no immediate comment from the ethnic rebels, who have seen their northern fiefdom crumble in recent months in the face of a massive government onslaught.
The Sri Lankan army's advance to the causeway, if confirmed, would deal another serious blow to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
The fall of the Elephant Pass would enable government troops from the south to link up with government forces in Jaffna who have been cut off from the rest of the island by LTTE positions.
Read More...Source The Times of India
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