Tamils in Retreat

Troops in Sri Lanka claim to have taken full control of the northern peninsula that was the last hold out of the rebel Tamil Tigers in the area.  

The area, known as the Jaffa peninsula, has long been seen as a symbolic base for the rebels.  1,700 Tamil civilians in the area fled the fighting for refuge in government-held areas.  

Sri Lanka at War

In a battle a quarter century old, Sri Lankan forces have gained further ground in pushing back against the rebel Tamil Tigers today after taking the Tiger's declared capital city last Friday.  

The Tamils are a militant group of minority Hindus in the majority Singhalese Buddhist country Sri Lanka. The Tigers have been fighting for an independent homeland through terrorist tactics over the past few decades.  "Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the Tamil Tigers started fighting government forces in the 1980's, seeking a separate homeland for ethnic Tamils," reports Al-Jazeera.