Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa Saturday declared that Tamil rebels have been defeated militarily, dpa reported. "I am proud to announce that my government with the total commitment or our armed forces, has in an unprecedented humanitarian operation, finally defeated the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam militarily," Rajapaksa said. He made the claim while in Jordan, on an official visit, with the remarks reported in Colombo. Rajapaksa was due to return Sunday to the Sri Lankan capital. "I will be returning to a country which has been totally liberated from the barbaric deeds of the LTTE," he said. The 25-year-old conflict, in which the LTTE has been fighting for an independent homeland for Sri Lankas minority Tamils, has killed more than 70,000 people.
