The Sri Lankan government has captured the headquarters of Tamil Tigerrebels in the north of the country dealing a huge blow to theirseparatist struggle to establish a Tamil homeland. Shortly after theannouncement was made a suspected suicide bomber killed at least twopeople in the capital Colombo, and injured at least 30 others, in asign the rebels are continuing their violent campaign.
The triumphant announcementthat the rebel base in Kilinochchi has fallen to the army was made bySri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse in a televised nationwideaddress Friday.
President Rajapakse called it a spectacular victory for the armed forces, and called on the rebels to surrender.
Across Colombo, people lit firecrackers, danced in the streets and waved Sri Lankan flags.
Thearmy secured the town - considered the main bastion of the rebels -after heavy fighting with the Tamil Tigers who had vowed to defendtheir political capital.
Kilinochchi has been serving as thepolitical and administrative headquarters of the Tamil Tigers, and theyhave established courts, police stations and a bank in the town.
Thegovernment spokesman for defense, Keheliya Rambukwella, told VOA,wresting Kilinochchi from the rebels is a big step forward in themilitary campaign to defeat the Tamil Tigers.
"Their completeadministration and infrastructure will be dismantled to great extent,"he said. "Which means it is a huge setback and there will be verylittle left for them to activate their terror activities."
But asuicide bombing within hours of the capture of Killinochchi indicatedthat the rebels retain the ability to strike back and are in no mood tosurrender.
Officials say a suicide bomber riding a motorcycledetonated a powerful explosion near the air force headquarters in theheart of Colombo during the afternoon rush hour. Several airmen andcivilians were killed or injured in the blast.
Suicide bombingsare a trademark of the rebels, and have carried out numerous suchattacks during their 25-year-long campaign to carve out a separatestate for the nation's ethnic Tamil minority.
Until a yearago, the rebels controlled huge swathes of territory in the north, butthey have steadily lost ground since the military began its campaign toevict them from their northern bases. In 2007, the rebels had beenforced out of their eastern bases.
Minister Rambukwella isoptimistic that the Tamil Tigers, having lost the east and faced withheavy reverses in the north, will no longer be a major threat.
"Thereis total disarray within the organization. International support hasreceded," he said. "They know that this is not a battle that they couldever, ever win. It would be lunacy for them to again think they couldget what they want through the barrel of the gun."
But theTamil Tigers have said earlier they will fight on even if Killinochchifalls. Analysts warn that the Tamil Tigers, known as some of thefiercest guerrilla fighters in the world, have regrouped aftersuffering huge reverses in the past.