Troops clear access to Jaffna

Sri Lankan troops have dismantled the last rebel defence on the island's west coast, securing a land route to the northern peninsula in a key victory against Tamil Tiger separatists, the Government said.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa in a televised speech hailed the capture of the town of Pooneryn and urged the rebels to lay down their arms and surrender.

Rajapaksa said the latest military success meant troops could access the previously isolated, Government-controlled Jaffna Peninsula by land, instead of depending on boats and aircraft.