It's confirmed: Prabhakaran is dead

LTTE cheif Prabhakaran shot dead

The army said that its special forces had encircled Prabhakaran, Pottu Aman and Soosoi, who were boxed into a 100m x 100m area. The killing of Prabhakaran came as officials confirmed that more than 220 frontline rebel cadres, including his elder son Charles Anthony, LTTE political head Balasingham Nadesan and LTTE peace secretariat chief S Pulidevan had been killed in fierce battles in the last 12 hours.

The other slain top LTTE leaders include Black Tigers' chief Ramesh, Tigers' police wing chief Ilango and senior leaders Sundaram and Kapil Amman. The body of 24-year-old Anthony, chief of LTTE's air wing, was found during mopping up operations in the last rebel-held territory in the no-fire zone this morning, the defence ministry said.

An undated photograph supplied by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence shows the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran standing with his wife Mathivathani, his son Balachandran and his daughter Duwaraka from a collection of photographs that government soldiers said they discovered recently in a hideout in northern Sri Lanka.





An undated photograph supplied by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence shows LTTE leader Prabhakaran playing with his son Balachandran as soldiers from the LTTE watch













Prabhakaran with his son Balachandran and wife Mathivathani











Prabhakaran (left) and his son Charles Anthony (second from right)













Prabhakaran swimming in a pool with his son Balachandran










Prabhakaran with his wife Mathivathani, son Charles Anthony and parents










Prabhakaran with wife, son Charles Anthony and two unidentified relatives











LTTE leader Prabhakaran with wife Mathivathani, son Balachandran and daughter Duwaraka















Prabhakaran with wife Mathivathani











Prabhakaran (Centre) and his wife Mathivathani (front row, Centre) sitting with LTTE soldiers









Source: Rediff

LTTE chief Prabhakaran's body found

LTTE chief Prabhakaran, the man who led the battle for a separate Tamil state for over three decades, has been reportedly shot by the Lankan army as he tried to flee. This news comes just hours after the Lankan government said they had found the body of LTTE supremo's 24-year-old son Charles Anthony.

PTI adds:

Prabhakaran and his top aides came out of their last hiding place in a small convoy of van and an ambulance and tried to drive out of the war zone, but were gunned down, he said.

The Tiger chief was killed with two others, who are yet to be identified but believed to be his closest associates - LTTE intelligence chief Pottu Amman and Sea Tigers' chief Soosoi.

The deaths of the top LTTE leaders came a day after Tamil Tigers conceded defeat saying the decades-old battle has reached its "bitter end" and they have decided to "silence" their guns.

Earlier on Monday morning, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara had said that Prabhakarn was still alive but completely encircled by advancing Sri Lankan forces in a tiny jungle area north of Vellamullivaikkal after most of the LTTE's top leaders were found killed.

The army said that its special forces had encircled Prabhakaran, Pottu Aman and Soosoi who were boxed into a 100m x 100m area.