COLOMBO, July 11: The Sri Lankan government’s ‘war for peace’ campaign is set to take a fresh turn with the military saying on Wednesday that it had captured the LTTE’s last eastern bastion located in forest territory of the Batticaloa district.

Government troops, which had reached the Thoppigala ‘Barons cap’ jungle on Wednesday morning, had captured the mountainous region where the LTTE had been carrying out their militant operations for the past 14 years, military spokesman Brig Prasad Samarasinghe said.

“We have reached the last leg of the offensive in Batticaloa and have fully invaded the eastern jungle of Thoppigala which is the last guerrilla stronghold in the area,” Brig Samarasinghe said as troops fired mortar rounds and rocket launchers deep into the forest terrain.

The number of Tiger cadres killed in the offensive was not immediately known. The LTTE have not offered comment about their latest defeat. Since last August, the separatists have lost to the army their eastern bases in Ampara, Trincomalee and, now, Batticaloa district.

On Tuesday, military officials said the army had captured another main rebel base, a rocky plateau near the Thoppigala forest area which had been used as an ‘observation post’ by the guerrillas.

Hundreds of cadres who had occupied the plateau are believed to have fled the jungle region via a sea route in rebel boats to the north but the military said the rebels might have left booby traps and mines in their wake.“We are combing the Thoppigala jungle looking for mines. We are on full alert and continuing with clearing operations as the terrorists may have infiltrated small pockets of areas in the western part of Thoppigala,” Brig Samarasinghe said, stating that the capture of the area had been carried out with minimum loss to the army. Around 15 soldiers have been killed in the offensive that began around three weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Keheliye Rambukwella said the army’s gain of territory in the east had enabled the government to proceed with plans to hold elections and establish local civil administration in the district.

“We have freed the eastern people from the LTTE. Now that terrorists have been eliminated from the east we will look towards bringing about democracy and development to the area. Elections will be held in the region shortly to usher in a local administration devoid of terrorism. Now it is up to the civilian populace to elect democratic leaders of their choice,” Minister Rambukwella told Dawn and added that fresh nominations were expected to be called soon after voter registers were updated.

Political analysts say the holding of elections in the east to elect local bodies such as urban councils will be a new chapter that will have a significant impact in any future peace process between the government and the LTTE.

Despite the LTTE political wing leader S.P. Thamilchelvam recently downplaying their defeat in Batticaloa, observers say the complete loss of the eastern bases to the military has placed the rebel outfit in a weak position with long-term political implications.

“The fact that there are a large number of supporters of the two Tamil pro-government political parties, the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) and the Tiger breakaway faction, the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Perani (TMVP), which has a strong presence in the east, contradicts the LTTE’s claim as sole representatives of the Tamils,” an analyst said.

“The TMVP, under the leadership of LTTE dissident Karuna, has come into the democratic mainstream, unlike the Tamil Tigers who are under the control of Vellupillai Prabhakaran. If political powers are bestowed to the TMVP and the EPDP in the eastern region they become important players in the peace process which will undermine the LTTE’s claim for a separate north-eastern homeland,” he opined.

The pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance represented in parliament has not commented about the governments plans to hold elections in the east or the army’s latest conquest of rebel held areas.