KATHMANDU, May 18: Sri Lanka military claimed on Monday that the leader of the Tamil Tiger rebels, Velupillai Prabhakaran, is alive and surrounded by government troops, BBC reported.
Prabhakaran is guarded by about 200 rebels and encircled by Sri Lankan troops in a small patch of jungle, a military spokesman said on television.
Sri Lankan forces have routed the rebels in the past few weeks, bringing a 26-year war to its conclusion.
The latest claims cannot be verified as reporters are barred from the war zone.
On Sunday, there were reports about Prabhakaran being killed in the Sri Lanka military offensive as some bodies were yet to be identified.
Earlier, AP, quoting Sri Lanka´s military, said Monday that troops had killed three senior Tamil Tiger militants and found the body of the son of the rebels´ leader in mopping-up operations after the movement´s defeat. The defense ministry said one of the Tigers was the head of its political wing.
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