COLOMBO, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Strategically important positions of Tamil Tiger rebels in northern Sri Lanka were captured by advancing government troops Thursday morning, the military said.

    Officials from the Ministry of Defense said that Devil's Point and Palekkkadu near Pooneryn have been captured and the military was now in control of some 73 kilometers of the 80-kilometer-long Mannar-Pooneryn highway.

    The area has been completely freed of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) sea wing bases.

    The ongoing military operations would pave way for the clearing of a land route to the northern Jaffna peninsula first time for more than 20 years, the military said.

    Meanwhile, the police said that a Buddhist monk reported missing in the Eastern Province since Tuesday has been traced.

    Venerable Sivuralamulle Dhammasiri Thero was found inside a cave 1.5 km away from his hermitage at Panama in the district of Ampara, the police said.

    He was feared abducted by LTTE rebels.

    The police said details of circumstances that led to his disappearance is now being investigated.