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Lankan military moves to take Tiger capital

Gout holds local polls

AFP, Colombo
Sri Lanka staged local election under tight security yesterday a troops pushed deeper into Tami Tiger territory, closing in on th, rebel capital in the war-ravage< north, officials said.
i 1\vo out of the country's nin< provinces cast ballots to elect nev top local officials, without am incidents of violence reported police said.
"Wc deployed about 25,000 met to guard polling booths and th< reports so far suggest that th< voting went off without any majo
incident," a police official said.
The provinces which went to th« polls -- North Central ant Sabaragamuwa -- are not hit b’ fighting between troops and Tigc rebels, but the government hat turned the vote into an unofficia referendum on its military strategy
Election officials put turnout a about 60 to 65 percent of the 2.11 million eligible voters.
On Friday, the defence ministr announced troops had capturei two strategic towns from the Tiger: as they closed within just 12 kilo metres (7.5 miles) of the rebels political capital of Kilinochchi it
the north.
The ministry said Saturday ; total of 28 rebels and two soldier were killed in clashes since Frida; across the island's north, where th< military is keeping up pressure ot the guerrillas along at least fou fronts.
Tens of thousands have died ot both sides since die Liberatior Tigers oflhmil Eelam (LTTE) begat fighting in 1972 for an independen homeland for minority Tamils it the majority Sinhalese island.
There was no immediate com ment from the Tigers about tin military push and the casualtie:
claimed by the security forces, bu the guerrillas earlier this weel tacitly admitted the military wa: advancing into theirareas.
The few international aid agen cies operating inside rcbel-hek territory reported that over 112,00( people had been driven out of thei homes as a result of fighting ove the past two months.
President M a h i n d ; Rajapakse announced Tuesda; that troops were on a final pus! to dismantle the LTTE's de facto state in the north after thi military ejected the rebels fron the east in July 2007.