(CNN) -- Sri Lankan security forces reclaimed a rebel-dominated town in the northern part of the island nation, a military commander announced Tuesday.
An undated picture shows Tamil Tiger rebels in Kilinochchi during a confrontation with the army.
The town of Mankulam -- about 187 miles from the capital, Colombo -- sits along the highway to Kilinochchi, once the center of political power for the Tamil Tiger rebels. In Kilinochchi, rebels ran their own quasi-administration with a makeshift police force, court, tax system and prisons.
Those institutions were dismantled after Sri Lankan forces launched a major military offensive to recapture rebel strongholds.
The takeover of Mankulam came less than a week after Sri Lankan troops recaptured the northern village of Pooneryn -- a significant strategic move that enabled troops to secure control of the west coast, preventing rebels importing supplies from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu , a military spokesman said.
The Tamil Tigers were founded in 1976. The U.S. State Department designated the group a foreign terrorist organization in 1997.
The fighting in Sri Lanka pits government forces in a country dominated by the Sinhalese ethnic group against rebels from the Tamil minority. The rebels, formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ( LTTE ), are fighting for the creation of an independent nation, citing discrimination by the Sinhalese.
In the past, both sides in the conflict have exaggerated accounts of military operations. E-mail to a friend Share this on: Mixx Facebook Twitter Digg del.icio.us reddit MySpace StumbleUpon | Mixx it | Share
All About Sri Lanka • Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam • Tamil Nadu
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