Troops make further gains over rebels

Sri Lankan troops allegedly made another significant gain in their campaign against the rebel group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on 5 January 2009. Three days after taking the Tigers' headquarters of Kilinochchi, troops gained control of the southern part of Elephant Pass, a strategically important strip of land that connects the northern Jaffna Peninsula to the mainland. Government officials claim that they are in position to crush the rebel Tigers after nearly three decades of fighting the group.