Army captures last LTTE sea base

COLOMBO - The Sri Lankan military Thursday said that it has captured the last sea base of the Tamil Tiger rebels.

Officials said the Tamil Tiger base in Chalai was captured by the troops of the 55 Division Thursday afternoon.

Several senior leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have been killed in the fighting in the area since Wednesday, an official said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse said the LTTE will be decisively defeated within the next few days.

The LTTE has been fighting the government troops to set up an independent Tamil homeland for more than two decades.