Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels say they are laying down their arms as the government claims military victory

Sri Lankas Tamil Tiger Separatist Rebels say they are laying down their arms following a shootout with government forces on Sunday. The statement comes as Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa says the rebels have been defeated by government forces. This brings to an end almost 26 years of armed conflict, which left some 70 000 people dead. Meanwhile there are conflicting reports over the fate of the Tamil leader Vellu-pillai Prab-HAkaran who was earlier reported dead by unconfrmed sources.