Colombo: Elusive LTTE supremo V Prabhakaran, who received a massive blow after the fall of the rebels political headquarters Kilinochchi, may be hiding in the key Tiger bastion of Mullaittivu, Sri Lankan army chief Sarath Fonseka has said.
Prabhakaran, 54, is likely hiding in the coastal town of Mullaittivu, Fonseka said yesterday as Sri Lankan army attacked the area around the suspected hideout of the LTTE leader.
The army chief also said the LTTE was now confined to an area of 40 kms in the embattled north of the island.
Fonseka had earlier said the army's aim was to capture Prabhakaran, believed to be holed up in a bunker, alive.
The Sri Lankan army chief survived an LTTE suicide attack in 2006 outside his office and underwent treatment abroad after suffering serious injuries.
Last year, the army added the specialised Task Force-2 to supplement the four divisions that were engaged in attacking Mullaittivu, the headquarter of sea Tigers.
According to a newspaper report, Prabhakaran lives in a sprawling air-conditioned bunker complex, located 30 feet below the ground, and comes up to the surface only in the night to avoid detection.
Prabhakaran's "extravagant underground bunker is constructed as per his instructions and equipped with air-conditioning and power generators," the Bottom Line had said in a recent report.
