Sri Lanka's quarter-century-long civil war is in its final phase, while its troops are hitting Tamil Tiger rebels in the country's north.

Sri Lankan officials suggested that Friday, as cited by CNN.

In President Mahinda Rajapaksa words, the end of the current military push, which is often referred to as a civilian rescue mission, is less than 48 hours away. He spoke Friday from Jordan , where he was attending an economic summit.

"The Tamil civilians held hostage by the LTTE in small area of land in the north would be rescued, and the Tamils would be saved from the threat of LTTE terrorism," Rajapaksa said.

The rebels, formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), have fought for an independent state in Sri Lanka since 1983.

As many as 70 000 people have been killed since the civil war began.