Sri Lanka president declares victory in civil war

Colombo: The leaders of the Tamil Tigers remained at large on Sunday, a day after Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared victory over the rebels.

Rajapaksa said on Saturday that Sri Lankan armed forces had finally defeated the rebel group after 25 years of civil war.

On Sunday, troops killed at least 70 rebels trying to escape the northern war zone in six boats.

Army troops thwarted the rebel attempt, killing a large number of rebels, said the military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara.

Government forces have been hunting for reclusive rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and his top deputies for months, but it was unclear if they remained in rebel territory or had already fled overseas.