Children, females among surrendered rebels: Sri Lankan military

COLOMBO, May 29 (Xinhua) -- At least 400 children and 1,200 females are among the near 10,000 Tamil Tiger rebels surrendered to the government recently, the Sri Lankan military said Friday.

Defense Officials who did not want to be named said the surrendered rebels are now being housed in different rehabilitation centers around the country.

The former members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were among around 270,000 civilians displaced by the battles between the government troops and the LTTE in the north.

The displaced Tamil civilians are now housed in welfare camps in the northern Jaffna and Vavuniya districts.

The government troops concluded its three-year military campaign against the LTTE by eliminating the rebels and recapturing all of the 15,000-sq-km territory formerly held by the LTTE.

The LTTE during the height of their separatist campaign received international condemnation for their continued recruitment of child combatants.

Several of the LTTE's hardcore members have been traced at IDP centers so far, the military said.

Meanwhile, the military said search operations conducted in the former rebel territory of Karaimullivaikkal in the northeastern Mullaittivu district have led to the discovery of missiles, other military hardware and ammunition belonging to the rebels.

More than 100,000 people died in the LTTE's campaign spanning about three decades for a separate Tamil homeland in the north and east.