Sri Lankan Rebels Lose Peninsula
<i> Associated Press</i>
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka —
The military said it gained control of the northern Jaffna peninsula today after capturing the last town there held by Tamil separatist rebels.
The rebels fled when soldiers backed by helicopter gunships entered the port town of Point Pedro on the northern coast at dawn, Maj. Tilak Dunuwille said.
The peninsula has been the center of the guerrillas’ fight for a homeland for minority Tamils in the north and east for 12 years.
The rebels are expected to continue their insurgency from the mainland.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.