Sri Lankan soldiers seized a town in a Tamil rebel stronghold after a 36-hour battle while air force jets bombed a hideout believed to have been visited by the Tamil Tigers' top leader, AP quoted defense officials as saying. Troops took control of Mulliawalai town in Mullaittivu district on Friday after the gunbattle, the defense ministry said in a statement. It provided no casualty figures. The military said its ground forces, backed by artillery, armored vehicles, fighter jets and helicopter gunships, have forced the rebels to retreat from much of Mullaittivu on the northeast coast in recent weeks. As part of that campaign, air force jets bombed a hideout deep in the jungle in Mullaittivu on Saturday, said air force spokesman Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara. He did not give details of casualties or damage, but said the pilots confirmed that «they hit the target.» Helicopter gunships also attacked Tamil positions in the rebel's de facto capital of Kilinochchi on Saturday, said Nanayakkara. Soldiers captured Nalanawakulam, a small rebel-held village near the city, said a military statement.
