COLOMBO, Nov 23: The Sri Lankan armed forces are mounting heavy pressure on the Tamil Tiger rebels ahead of rebel chieftain Velupillai Prabhakaran’s annual Hero’s Day speech on Nov 27.

The current stepping up of the multi-pronged attack on the rebel capital of Kilinochchi is meant to force Prabhakaran to publicly concede significant reverses, analysts said.

Additionally, a significant military triumph now would help Mahinda Rajapaksa’s United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance (UPFA) sweep the Sri Lankan parliamentary elections likely to be held in early 2009.

In the northern Muhamalai sector, troops have taken the First Defence Line of the LTTE. Two more defence lines will have to be taken before the LTTE base of Palai is taken.

Palai is en route to Elephant Pass, which is the gateway to Kilinochchi.

The Defence Ministry said that there were “pitched battles” north west of Kilinochchi on Sunday, in which units of Task Force I fought against hardened LTTE cadre. Fierce fighting is taking place north and south of Adampan and Thirumurugandi, but the military says that LTTE’s resistance is crumbling.

Troops who had taken Kokkavil, on the A9 road, are moving forward, but are encountering LTTE-built earth bunds.

The LTTE is clearly on a defensive mode, fighting from behind several layers of mud bunds and trenches along the Pooneryn-Paranthan and Mankulam-Kilinochchi fronts.

The idea is to delay the enemy’s advance and inflict as many casualties on him as possible.

Though neither side gives reliable figures, casualties are reportedly exceptionally high, on both sides.

The withdrawing LTTE cadre are leaving behind prized weapons, rather unusually. In Pooneryn, they left behind a battle tank which the outfit had earlier seized from the army.

The Sunday Times reports that LTTE chief Prabhakaran had recently told Jayanandamurthy, a member of the Sri Lankan parliament belonging to the pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance (TNA), that the Tigers would re-capture lost territory in three months’ time.

Jayanandamurthy and two other TNA MPs who had visited the Wanni recently, have been questioned by Sri Lankan sleuths.