Troops capture former base and strategic road in northern Sri Lanka

Colombo - Government troops have taken control of a one- time military garrison and a strategic road in northern Sri Lanka after weeks of fighting against Tamil rebels in the area, President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced Friday. 'Our troops have taken control of the Elephant Pass area,' Rajapaksa said, referring to the former military complex located 390 kilometres north of the capital. With the capture of the area troops now have control of the strategic highway which runs from the southern part of the country to the northern Jaffna peninsula which is popularly known as the A-9 road. Earlier parts of the road were controlled by the rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), resulting in civilians being forced to use air or sea routes to travel to the Jaffna peninsula from the south. The military base at Elephant Pass was captured from the army by the rebels in 1991, re-taken by the army in 1996, but again in 2000 the rebels recaptured the area. President Rajapaksa said that despite the military achievements there were 'conspirators' who were trying to tarnish the image of the country by carrying out various acts of violence. He said that one of them was the slaying of Lasantha Wickrematunga, the editor of the weekend anti-government newspaper The Sunday Leader. Wickrematunga was shot dead by two persons riding on a motorcycle on Thursday close to the capital. Journalists, civic rights organisations and opposition politicians staged a demonstration in Colombo Friday accusing the government of failing to protect journalists and press freedom. Government troops are now heading towards the last few rebel bases located in Mullaitivu, more than 350 kilometres north-east of the capital. Army Commander Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka estimates that there are less than 2,000 rebels left. Security forces have been carrying out operations to recapture rebel-held areas in the north and east since August 2006 and since then more than 12,000 rebels and 3,000 soldiers have been killed, according figures given by the military.