Sri Lanka vs. Tamil Rebels

UPDATE: Sri Lanka says troops have captured rebel capital

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (1/1/09) – Sri Lankan soldiers fought their way into the Tamil Tiger rebel capital Friday for the first time in a decade, military officials said, following months of fierce battles on the outskirts that left scores dead.

Troops entered the northern town of Kilinochchi from two sides, senior military officials told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity in line with government rules.

The level of fighting inside the town remained unclear. The military had predicted Thursday that soldiers would seize the town within two days.

The fall of Kilinochchi would be devastating to the separatist Tigers, who have had used the town as their political and military headquarters for the past 10 years and have created structures for an independent state, such as a police, courts, and tax offices.

Recent government military offensives have forced the rebels out of much of their territory in the north of the Indian Ocean island nation. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has promised to crush the rebel group and end the nation's 25-year-old civil war this year.

A 6-year-old Norway-brokered truce was officially called off last year with both sides openly violating the agreement. More>>