| Kilinochchi கிளிநொச்சி කිලිනොච්චි |
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| — Town — | |
| Kilinochchi courthouse | |
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Kilinochchi
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Province | Northern |
| District | Kilinochchi |
| DS Division | Karachchi |
| Population (2001) | |
| • Total | 127,263 |
| Time zone | Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone (UTC+5:30) |
Kilinochchi (Tamil: கிளிநொச்சி, IAST Kilinocci, Sinhala: කිලිනොච්චි) is a city in the Kilinochchi District, part of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Kilinochchi is situated at the A9 road some 100 km (62 mi) south-east of Jaffna. It was the administrative center and de facto capital of the LTTE (Tamil Tigers)[1] until 2 January 2009, when troops of the Sri Lankan Army recaptured the city.
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The city of Kilinochchi was established in 1936 as part of a colonization project that sought to ease overpopulation and unemployment in Jaffna.[2]
The LTTE first took hold of the town in 1990 when the Army withdrew its garrisons from Kilinochchi. Then the area was retaken by the Army during operations Sathjaya I, II, and III in September 1996. The town again fell into the LTTE's hand in September 1998 who held their administrative hub there until evacuating during the Battle of Kilinochchi on 2 January 2009.[3]
Several institutions of the LTTE had been relocated from Kilinochchi to Tharmapuram, a town about 13 km in the east, by early October, 2008.
Most people living in Kilinochchi are Sri Lankan Tamils.
Kilinochchi is one of the major agrarian cultivation destinations in the island from the pre-historic times. Iranamadu (Ranamaduva) Tank, Kanakampikai Kulam (Pond), and Kilinochchi Kulam are the major irrigation source for paddy and various other cultivations.
Kilinochchi has a defunct station on the Sri Lanka Government Railway system.
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