Sri Lanka troops hailed as Tamil Tigers ‘capital’ taken

GOVERNMENT forces captured the Tamil Tigers’ de facto capital in northern Sri Lanka yesterday, dealing a devastating blow to the rebels’ quarter-century fight for an independent state, the president said.

But in a sign the rebels retained their ability to strike back, a suspected Tamil Tiger suicide attacker on a motorcycle detonated a bomb near the air force headquarters in the heart of Colombo during yesterday afternoon’s rush hour, killing two airmen, police spokesman Ranjith Gunasekara said.

The attacker, who was targeting troops as they left work, wounded 30 other people, including nine airmen, he said.