Sri Lankan state TV showed grisly pictures today of what it claimed was the dead body of Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader of the Tamil Tigers.Prabhakaran was wearing his signature combat fatigues and a dog tag bearing the serial number "001". His head was partially 
covered by a cloth but a gaping wound was clearly visible. A laminated Tamil Tiger ID card was also on display.Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, a military spokesman, told The Times that the body was recovered earlier today and the authorities were "100 per cent positive" that it was Prabhakaran.Troops found Prabhakaran's bullet-ridden body on the bank of the Nanthikadal lagoon, the Ministry of Defence said on its website.Brigadier Nanayakkara said that Prabhakaran, who was the prime architect of a 26-year civil war that claimed more than 70,000 lives, had been shot, probably in fierce fighting yesterday morning.The announcement contradicted previous official claims that Prabhakaran's badly burnt body had been discovered yesterday.Military officials had said yesterday that Prabhakaran had been killed after he was ambushed by commandos as he made a desperate attempt to break through government lines in an ambulance.Prabhakaran, who had sworn never to be taken alive, was badly burnt when his vehicle burst into flames, officials had said. No pictures were released of his body and DNA tests were ordered to prove his identity.
covered by a cloth but a gaping wound was clearly visible. A laminated Tamil Tiger ID card was also on display.Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, a military spokesman, told The Times that the body was recovered earlier today and the authorities were "100 per cent positive" that it was Prabhakaran.Troops found Prabhakaran's bullet-ridden body on the bank of the Nanthikadal lagoon, the Ministry of Defence said on its website.Brigadier Nanayakkara said that Prabhakaran, who was the prime architect of a 26-year civil war that claimed more than 70,000 lives, had been shot, probably in fierce fighting yesterday morning.The announcement contradicted previous official claims that Prabhakaran's badly burnt body had been discovered yesterday.Military officials had said yesterday that Prabhakaran had been killed after he was ambushed by commandos as he made a desperate attempt to break through government lines in an ambulance.Prabhakaran, who had sworn never to be taken alive, was badly burnt when his vehicle burst into flames, officials had said. No pictures were released of his body and DNA tests were ordered to prove his identity.Brigadier Nanayakkara dismissed claims made by the Tigers' chief of international relations this morning that Prabhakaran was alive and safe and would "continue to lead the quest for dignity and freedom for the Tamil people".
detail: www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6317354.ece
detail: www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6317354.ece
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