The military in Sri Lanka confirmed Tuesday that Tamil Tiger rebel leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran has been killed. 
 
Sri Lanka Army Commander Sarath Fonseka has confirmed that the body of Prabhakaran, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), was found by the 53 Division troops led by Major General Kamal Goonarathne on Tuesday.

Defense officials said Prabhakaran's body was recovered near Nanthikadal lagoon in the northern Mullaittivu district.
 
The bullet ridden body of the LTTE leader has been positively identified as Prabakaran's by former LTTE leaders Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan and Daya Master, said the officials.

The image of Prabhakaran's body has been shown on the state television and the military have released the picture of the dead body.

Born in 1954, Prabhakaran was the founder and leader of the LTTE, a militant organization that sought to create an independent Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka.

Claiming ethnic Tamils had faced discrimination at the hands of the successive Sri Lankan governments, the LTTE Tigers have waged a violent secessionist campaign in Sri Lanka that has led to them been designated as a terrorist organization by 32 countries.

Meanwhile, the sea tiger wing leader Soosai's bullet ridden body was also found by the troops on Tuesday evening.

According to the defence sources, army commandos engaged in search and clear operations in the marshy land in Karayamullavaikkal area of Mullaittivu have made this finding.