COLOMBO, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's government troops have captured Tamil Tiger rebels' main garrison town of Mullaittivu in the north, defense sources said Sunday evening.

The Ministry of Defense said in a statement that the Army's 59th Division have gained total control over the Mullaittivu township after completing the mop up operations by Sunday evening.

Military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said earlier that the troops met some resistance from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) when they entered the town Sunday afternoon.

Situated in a narrow stretch of a land between the Nanthikandallagoon and the Indian Ocean, the Mullaittivu town is the last major town controlled by the LTTE.

It fell to the hands of the LTTE on July 18, 1996 and since then the LTTE established its main military and administrative bases there.

Army Commander Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka has requested the people to celebrate the victory with dignity by hoisting the national flag.

The capture of Mullaitivu town came less than a month after the troops captured Kilinochchi, the rebel's administrative center on Jan. 2.

Fighting between the two sides began to escalate in 2006 and the rebels have lost 95 percent of its territory to the troops since then.

However, independent analysts said it is too early to count the rebels out, as they still reserve hardcore fighters and weapons to fight back.

The international community has called the Sri Lankan government to find a political solution to the island's long drawn-out ethnic issue as soon as possible.

Claiming discrimination at the hands of Sinhalese dominated government, the LTTE has been fighting for more than two decades to carve out an separate homeland for minority Tamils in the north and east, resulting in the killing of more than 70,000 people.
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