25.9.2008
T V Sriram

The Sri Lankan forces have reached the outskirts of Kilinochchi town, a stronghold of Tamil rebels, and the LTTE supremo is now a "caged animal", the army chief said here today even as fierce clashes left 38 dead.

"Our forces are around four to five kilometres from Kilinochchi town. In fact we can see some of the buildings," Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka said.

He asserted that the leader of the LTTE, Velupillai Prabhakaran, was "now a caged animal".

Stating that the operations were reaching a decisive phase, Fonseka told a book release function here that the military campaign won't stop "until we liberate our motherland from the LTTE".

While refusing to give a time period for capture of the LTTE areas including Kilinochchi where the outfit maintains its administrative structure including the police headquarter, Fonseka hinted a fresh offensive would be unleashed in the coming days.

"We will fire the first shots towards Kilinochchi town next week," he said.

Meanwhile, defence ministry said at least 37 LTTE cadres and a soldier were killed in fierce clashes in the northern region of the country as security forces stepped up their offensive against the Tamil Tigers.

In an air raid, fighter jets carried out an attack on LTTE reinforcement troops gathering point in North of Akkarayankulam Tank in Kilinocchi today, officials said adding Air Force pilots confirmed that a large number of LTTE cadres were wounded during the attack.

PTI