Colombo – Government troops are moving to rescue civilians trapped in what has been described as a "no fire zone" in northern Sri Lanka, after capturing some of the last rebel strongholds in the area, military officials said Monday.

The military said that the next move was to rescue civilians who remain in an area of 17 square kilometers in a coastal area of Mullaitivu district, 395 kilometres north-east of the capital.

The Defence Ministry in its official website said that security forces "have launched a decisive tactical maneuver to free over hundreds of civilians held hostage by the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam."

According to government estimates, some 50,000 civilians are trapped in the area, which has limited drinking water facilities.

The Defence Ministry said rebels on Sunday lost their longstanding military presence in the Pudukudirrippu area, west of the "no fire zone."

The military claimed the rebels lost as many as 420 fighting cadres, including more than a dozen "high rankers" during four days of pitched fighting.

Meanwhile, Minister of Human Rights and Disaster Management Mahinda Samarasinghe said he was expecting a large number of displaced persons to turn up in government controlled areas.

A total of 2,127 civilians, including 919 children, on Sunday left the rebel-controlled areas and entered the government-controlled areas, the Defence Ministry said.

Government forces have been fighting to recapture rebel-held areas in the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka since August 2006. Military officials say they are now in the final phase of a long battle to defeat the rebels.

The whereabouts of the rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran has not been determined so far, but officials say they believe he still remains in the area.

The Tamil rebels have been fighting for an independent homeland for minority Tamils in the northern and eastern parts of the country for the past 26 years. (dpa)