Military: Forces enter Kilinochchi

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan military, claiming its biggest victory against the Tamil Tigers, said Friday it was about to capture the rebels' main stronghold of Kilinochchi.

The northern town, which the rebels had captured 10 years ago and made it their administrative headquarters, had been the main target of the military's current offensive to root out the rebels from their strongholds in the northern parts of the nation.

The Sri Lankan Defense Ministry on its Web site said its security forces had entered the Kilinochchi town perimeter from the north, south and west.

A separate Defense Ministry statement said its forces, led by Lt. Col. Harendra Ranasinghe, had captured the Kilinochchi railway station.

There was no immediate response to the military's claim on rebels' Web site.

The latest development comes after the military said it retook the main garrison town of Paranthan on Thursday after fighting in which its forces killed more than 50 rebels.

The Defense Ministry said there was no option for the rebels in Kilinochchi "other than to flee towards the jungle patches."

Sri Lankan Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said in a statement "our troops would be in command by this evening," the Press Trust of India reported.

The report said the rebels' political head Balasingham Nadesan had recently said in an interview the Tigers would resort to guerrilla fighting if Kilinochchi fell.

The next rebel stronghold in the north is the Elephant Pass.

The Tamil Tigers have been fighting for more than two decades for a separate homeland for the Tamil-speaking minority on the island nation. The fighting has resulted in the deaths of more than 65,000 people.