Breaking News :The leader of the Tamil Tigers has been shot dead while trying to flee government troops, according to a Sri Lankan defence official.
Velupillai Prabhakaran, 54, was reportedly trying to escape from the area in an ambulance with two close aides but was ambushed and killed.
"It was confirmed Prabhakaran was killed when trying to flee in an ambulance before dawn," the military source said on condition of anonymity.
Army foils LTTE's last attempt to evacuate its leaders; bodies being identified
Sri Lankan army elites and infantrymen of 53, 58 and 59 Divisions have foiled the LTTE's last attempt to evacuate its top leaders this morning (May 18). According to the latest battlefield reports, soldiers have located over 150 bodies of LTTE cadres so far. The process of identifying the terrorist bodies is in progress.
With this attack LTTE has lost all its key positions and its remnants are now limited to tiny pockets scattered in the Karayamullavaikkal area, the sources said. All army units are now engaged in the final mop up operations.
LTTE terrorists made their final bid to evacuate its leaders early this morning as army elites pierced in to the last remaining LTTE foothold last night. The terrorist have managed took hold of two vehicles and believed to have put their senior leaders into those vehicles before they started moving northwards. According to the available information army elites and 53 Division soldiers have intercepted and crushed the terrorist move after fierce fighting.
Troops have so far identified bodies of Charles Anthony, the eldest son of LTTE chief V.Prabhakaran , B. Nadesan, LTTE's political head, S. Pulidevan , LTTE's head of peace secretariat, S. Ramesh, A special military leader, Kapil Amman, LTTE's deputy intelligence leader, Sudarman , the aide to Prabhakarn's son, Rathnam Master , a black tiger leader and Ilango, another senior LTTE leader.
Source :Sri Lankan defence