After 26-Year War, Sri Lanka Struggles with Peace

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»

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»

(NEWSER) - The defeated Tamil Tigers have admitted that leader Velupillai Prabhakaran is dead, the BBC reports. The rebels declared a week of mourning after their “incomparable leader” was killed while "fighting the military oppression of the Sri Lankan government," a statement said. The Tigers have also renounced violence, said a spokesman, after Sri Lanka's military wiped out their army and displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians. More»

Body of rebel leader said to be found

(NEWSER) - Sri Lanka’s leader celebrated the country’s “liberation” from the Tamil Tigers after 26 years of war in a speech to parliament today, the BBC reports. “Today we have been able to liberate the entire country from the clutches of terrorism," said Mahinda Rajapaska. "We have been able to defeat one of the most heinous terrorist groups in the world." More»