COLOMBO, 15 March 2007 — Sri Lanka’s latest military campaign against the Tiger rebels could go on for another three years, senior defense officials said this week, as experts warned the conflict was taking its toll on the economy.
Sri Lankan troops backed by supersonic aircraft and multi-barrel rockets have stepped up their offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels in the island’s restive northeast since April and have vowed to flush them out.
“Within the next two to three years we should be able to eliminate them (Tamil Tigers),” said a top defense source, who declined to be named. He said the government would pursue a political solution alongside the military offensive as Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse was keen to bring about an “honorable peace” to end decades of bloodshed.
The source said the security forces were on a strong footing to win the military campaign, but a political solution must be pursued in parallel.
The government has said it has regional and international backing for its military campaign against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who are fighting for an independent homeland for the minority Tamils.
Many governments, including those in the United States, Europe and India, consider the Tigers to be terrorists.
