Sri Lanka's government troops have taken Tamil Tiger rebels's first line of defense near the northern Jaffna peninsula, the military said on Thursday.
Defense officials said the troops breached Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels' defence line in fierce fighting over four days.
Some 50 rebels and 10 soldiers were killed in the battles, officials said, adding that the troops are currently consolidating themselves in the area.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse urged the LTTE to surrender by giving up arms.
The troops are aiming to capture Kilinochchi, the rebels' administrative capital, which they claim would fall soon completely.
Claiming discrimination at the hands of Sinhalese-dominated governments, the LTTE has been fighting for an independent Tamil homeland in the north and east since the mid-1980s, resulting in the killing of more than 70,000 people.
Source: Xinhua
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