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| Sri Lanka leader hails 'victory' | Sri Lanka leader hails 'victory' |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Sri Lankan leader Mahinda Rajapaksa has declared the country "liberated" from Tamil Tiger rebels after a 26-year war. | Sri Lankan leader Mahinda Rajapaksa has declared the country "liberated" from Tamil Tiger rebels after a 26-year war. |
| Mr Rajapaksa made the announcement in a speech to the country's parliament, a day after the army said rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran had been killed. | Mr Rajapaksa made the announcement in a speech to the country's parliament, a day after the army said rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran had been killed. |
| An army spokesman told the BBC authorities are yet to identify Prabhakaran's body, saying it was among a number of badly-burnt corpses. | An army spokesman told the BBC authorities are yet to identify Prabhakaran's body, saying it was among a number of badly-burnt corpses. |
| Tamil media outside Sri Lanka have denied the Tiger chief's death. | Tamil media outside Sri Lanka have denied the Tiger chief's death. |
| In a nationally televised live address, President Rajapaksa said today was "a day which is very, very significant - not only to us Sri Lankans but to the entire world". | |
| "Today we have been able to liberate the entire country from the clutches of terrorism," he said. "We have been able to defeat one of the most heinous terrorist groups in the world." | "Today we have been able to liberate the entire country from the clutches of terrorism," he said. "We have been able to defeat one of the most heinous terrorist groups in the world." |
| VELUPILLAI PRABHAKARAN Born November, 19541972: Founded Tamil New Tigers (TNT), forerunner of LTTEWanted in Sri Lanka and India Profile: Velupillai Prabhakaran Protest over UK role in Sri Lanka Tamils hunt for news of relatives End of the road for rebels | |
| As he walked into parliament, schoolgirls sang an ancient song of praise, while lawmakers held up the national flag. | As he walked into parliament, schoolgirls sang an ancient song of praise, while lawmakers held up the national flag. |
| The army said it killed Prabhakaran on Monday after over-running the last patch of territory held by the Tamil Tiger rebels (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE). | The army said it killed Prabhakaran on Monday after over-running the last patch of territory held by the Tamil Tiger rebels (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE). |
| The claim has not been independently verified because reporters are not allowed into the former conflict zone. | The claim has not been independently verified because reporters are not allowed into the former conflict zone. |
| The Tigers had been fighting for a separate state for Tamils in the north and east of Sri Lanka since the 1970s. | The Tigers had been fighting for a separate state for Tamils in the north and east of Sri Lanka since the 1970s. |
| More than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict and thousands displaced. | More than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict and thousands displaced. |