SL launches 'final assault' against LTTE

Sri Lankan troops today launched a ‘final assault’ against the LTTE and captured more territory from it after the rebels ignored a 24-hour deadline set by the Government to surrender, as more than 62,000 trapped civilians crossed the northern war zone to ‘safe zones’.

As the 24-hour ultimatum to the elusive LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran to lay down arms and surrender before the troops expired at 1200 hrs IST, Sri Lankan forces went all out against the Tamil Tigers and seized Puthumathalan hospital and breached the eastern coast of the ‘No Fire Zone’, where the top brass of LTTE is believed to be hiding.

The Lankan forces attack virtually sliced the small 17 sq km strip of land held by the Tigers into two and came as the number of people fleeing the war zone crossed a record figure of 62,000.