Colombo, Apr. 6: Sri Lankan Government troops have said that they are in no hurry to storm a safe zone to pursue Tamil Tiger rebels in the north-east.

The country’s defence secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapakse said: "We have no plans of going into the safe zone immediately. Our aim is to get the civilians safely out of the no-fire zone. So, we are watching at the moment."

He was speaking in an interview with the BBC.

Colombo  - Over 250 Tamil rebels were killed in overnight fighting in northern Sri Lanka as the country's military gained full control of the last rebel stronghold in northern Sri Lanka, the Defence Ministry said Sunday.

The stronghold known as Pudukudirrippu, 390 kilometres north-east of the capital, was taken Sunday after pitched battles around the area overnight, the Defence Ministry added.

Some key leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebel group were said to be among the 250 killed, a number that brings the rebel death toll to more than 400 since April 1, the ministry said.

Colombo - At least 37 Tamil separatist rebels were killed in northern Sri Lanka as government troops sought to capture the last remaining rebel-held territory there, and police commandos shot dead 13 more rebels in the south-east, military officials said Friday.

Clashes were reported around the Pudukudirrippu area, 390 kilometres north-east of Colombo, beginning Thursday and continuing into Friday.

Among those killed were the leader and deputy of one of the rebels' brigades, officials said.

Troops said they recovered 37 rebel bodies, but the death toll could be higher.

Colombo - Heavy fighting between government security forces and Tamil rebels were reported in north-eastern Sri Lanka as the Navy foiled a rebel sea attack, the military said Monday.

At least 47 rebels were killed Sunday and Monday in the Mullaitivu district, 395 kilometres north-east of the capital, military officials said.

A flotilla of seven boats carrying rebels made an attempt to carry out a pre-dawn attack on security forces on the coast Monday, but the navy destroyed the boats and killed at least 26 guerrillas including a senior member of the group, Navy spokesman Commander DKP Dassanayaka said.

Colombo - The military said Saturday that it had killed at least 26 Tamil rebels and lost six soldiers in northern Sri Lanka as it fights to capture the last remaining guerilla-held ground on the island.

Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said the fighting occurred around Pudukudirrippu and Karaivamulliyakal, 390 kilometres north-east of Colombo.

Government troops reached the outer perimeters of a "no-fire zone" meant for civilians in the north-eastern part of the country, which is in the rebel-held area, he said.

Colombo - Security forces have mounted a search operation in north-central Sri Lanka after Tamil separatist rebels gunned down four farmers overnight and wounded four others, a military official said Thursday.

The farmers were shot in the Menikdeniya area of Welikanda, 160 kilometres north-east of Colombo late Wednesday.

The incident was the second such attack in less than 24 hours. On Tuesday night, five farmers were shot dead and two more injured in Serunuwara, 230 kilometres north-east of the capital.