LTTE Nerve Center Falls into Military Hands

Ministry of Defence website, Defence.lk, has published pictures of a security forces surrounding a Sri Lankan flag hoisted on a building in the town Mallawi described as the "nerve center" of the LTTE operations. According to the military officials, the security forces has captured the town after a prolonged battled that claimed the lives of 48 - mostly rebels - fighters.

The fall of the key town which has acted as the administrative capital of the de factco LTTE state is a big blow to the LTTE which has lost a number of key towns to the advancing troops in the recent weeks. The fall of Mallavi also exposes the town of Killinochchi which the LTTE has made it's de facto capital since the fall of Jaffna to the security forces in 1995. The elusive leader of the LTTE, Velupillai Prabhakaran is said to reside in Killinochchi in a highly fortified network of bunkers. The Sri Lankan government has vowed to take over Killinochchi by the end of the year and capture Prabhakaran in the process.

The LTTE has not commented on the fall of Mallavi and the pro-LTTE website, TamilNet has said a millitary offensives in Naachchikkudaa and Vannearikku'lam were thwarted with heavy causalities to the security forces.