Sri Lanka Military Cuts Off Rebel Sea Escape

(AP) - Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said today that his country had defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels on the battlefield and emerged victorious from its quarter-century civil war. "My government, with the total commitment of our armed forces, has in an unprecedented humanitarian operation finally defeated the LTTE militarily," he said, referring to the rebels by their formal name, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. More»

Ethnic tensions remain as Tamil rebels lay down arms

(NEWSER) - The Sri Lankan government finally prevailed in its 26-year civil war with Tamil rebels with a brutal campaign, leaving thousands dead and 300,000 displaced. Now, reports the Wall Street Journal, the country must try living in peace after years of assassinations and abductions from both sides. Tamils "should be able to live without fear and mistrust," said the country's president—but ethnic tensions are still flaring. More»

European arms may have been used in civil war atrocities

(NEWSER) - European Union nations sold millions of dollars worth of arms and military equipment to the Sri Lankan army in the final stages of its 26-year civil war, in which the army has been accused of atrocities. The UK sold the country $22.3 million in armored vehicles and weapons, though by 2008 it had suspended military aid and sales amid concerns about human rights abuses. It remains unclear whether EU weapons were used in the final massacres of the war, in which 20,000 civilians were killed. More»

Photos, UN documents reveal hidden massacre at civil war's end

(NEWSER) - The final battles of the 26-year civil war in Sri Lanka killed more than 20,000 Tamil civilians, most from government shelling, an investigation by the Times of London concludes. The number of casualties is three times higher than the government admitted. Aerial photographs, eyewitness testimony, and confidential UN documents show that an average of 1,000 civilians were killed every day until May 19, when the leader of the Tamil Tigers was killed. More»

After 26 years, Tamil Tigers resoundingly defeated

(NEWSER) - The leader of the Tamil Tigers was shot dead before dawn this morning as the Sri Lankan army moved into the rebel group's final stronghold, the Guardian reports. Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed while trying to flee the war zone in an ambulance. Four other senior Tigers, including his son, were also killed. News of his death sparked celebrations in Sri Lanka, which has endured 25 years of civil war. More»