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Article: Tamil Tiger rebels confirm leader's death
- Article from:
- AP Online
- Article date:
- May 24, 2009
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Tamil Tiger rebels have confirmed for the first time that their supreme leader was killed in the final battle with Sri Lankan troops.
A statement quoting the Tiger's international spokesman says guerrilla commander Velupillai Prabhakaran died on May 17 in a bloody battle on the island's northeast coast.
The Sunday statement from rebel spokesman Selvarasa Pathmanathan follows television images and photographs of Prabhakaran's body released by the government last week.
The government declared it had finally killed Prabhakaran and proclaimed victory against his Tamil Tiger rebels, crushing a 25-year rebellion that the U.N. estimates had cost between 80,000 to 100,000 ...