Lanka forces say they are closing in on Tamil Tiger stronghold

Colombo, Sept.30 : The Government of Sri Lanka has claimed it is closing in on the Tamil Tiger stronghold of Kilinochchi.

Amid fierce fighting in recent days, the military says it will soon take the rebel base and, within months, end one of Asia's longest-running conflicts.

The claims come amid fierce fighting in and near the Tigers' base in Kilinochchi on the northern tip of the island, where government airplanes are pounding rebel positions as ground troops slowly tighten the noose, reports the Christian Science Monitor.

Numerous media noted that the military's claims could not be independently verified. Both the government and the rebels often make exaggerated claim.

After a ceasefire fighting resumed in earnest in mid-2006 and Sri Lanka's military ejected the Tigers from the East.

Attention then turned to territory controlled in the north by the rebels, who want a separate state for the ethnic Tamil minority.

In recent months troops have advanced rapidly.

The Tigers administer areas under their control from the town. The government bars most journalists from areas where the fighting is taking place and the military's accounts cannot be independently verified.

ANI