COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- The commander of the Sri Lankan army is vowing to destroy Tamil Tiger rebels in the country's eastern and northern provinces this year.
Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka said rebels would be eradicated in the eastern part of the island nation in the next two to three months, and then the military would turn its attention to ending an insurgency in the northern province, Colombo Page reported.
Government planes bombed Tiger positions near Batticaloa in the eastern province Wednesday, a day after airstrikes in the northwest, the BBC reported. The United Nations estimates some 3,000 civilians have been killed since fighting resumed last year.
The chief prelate of the Asgiriya Chapter of the Siam Nikya blessed Fonseka during his visit to the Temple of the Tooth Wednesday in Kandy.
