An Army press release here said that the troops captured area up to Vakarai in eastern Batticaloa district, which was under the control of Tamil rebels. One soldier was killed and four others wounded in the operation, it said.

Troops, backed by the air force and the navy, attacked the town yesterday, which had been used by the Tamil militants as a major base for its operations. The LTTE had also used the Vakarai coast as a landing point for its boat movement, the release said, adding that the capture of the town would now hinder the sea movement of the Tamil Tigers between north and east. The Tamil guerrillas withdrew after initially offering resistance, the release said.