Colombo, March 15 (IANS) Sri Lankan troops Sunday smashed their way further into the fast shrinking Tamil Tiger-held territories and captured their “police post” and a “court centre”, inflicting heavy damages on the rebels in the north-eastern Mullaitivu district, defence ministry here said.
The advancing troops of the 58 Division captured a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) strong point after hours of heavy fighting since Sunday morning at Puthukkudiyiruppu, the last major stronghold of the guerrillas, said the defence ministry.

“Infantrymen of the 8th Gajaba Regiment pushed into the well fortified LTTE position, reportedly killing at least nine terrorists and injuring many others. Several soldiers also received minor injuries during the confrontation,” according to an official statement.

The captured base “was one of the LTTE’s so-called police stations located along the Puthumathalan road”, the statement said.

In a separate report, the defence ministry said the 58 Division troops have “seized total control of another LTTE strong point and a rudimentary LTTE-run court centre located in the Puthukkudiyiruppu”.

It said over 600 civilians were also rescued by the troops from the LTTE and brought to safety areas since Sunday morning.

Claiming that the LTTE had launched heavy artillery shelling from multiple locations “inside the declared no-fire zone restricting movement of civilians towards security forces”, the defence ministry said the infantrymen despite grave risk cut across the LTTE forward defences “creating a safe access route for the civilians towards the liberated area”.

Over 35,000 people from the LTTE-held areas in the north-eastern Mullaitivu district have already fled the war-zone and entered the government-held areas since the beginning of 2009. Most of them are being housed at welfare centres and transit camps in the northern Vavuniya town.