Sri Lankan government says Tamil chief Velupillai Prabhakaran is dead . - The United States and the European Union impose sanctions on several senior members of President Rajapaksa's government. Rebels have fought for an independent state for minority Tamils since 1983 .
Sri Lankan government says Tamil chief Velupillai Prabhakaran is dead . The offensive against the rebel group is in its last stages , the government says . Rebels have fought for an independent state for minority Tamils since 1983 .