Sri Lanka declared total victory Monday over Civil war that lasted for 26 years, after killing the separatist Tamil Tigers' leader and taking control of the entire country for the first time since 1983.

We have liberated the entire country by completely liberating the north from the terrorists. We have gained full control of LTTE-held areas, Sarath Fonseka, Army commander Lieutenant General, announced on state TV.

He said troops had crushed the final resistance of the Tamil Tigers leader Prabhakaran as he tried to flee the war zone in an ambulance. His body was found together with his eldest son, Charles Anthony, as well as Pottu Amman, LTTE's intelligence leader, according to the defense ministry.

The Tamil rebel group, formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), founded by Velupillai Prabhakaran on a culture of suicide. It has been declared a terrorist organization by 32 countries. It pioneered the use of women in suicide attacks and, according to the FBI, invented the explosive suicide belt.

Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa is expected to announce that military operations against the Tiger rebels have ended in an address to parliament and country on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka's triumph was not without controversy. The European Union on Monday urged an independent inquiry into alleged human rights violations, mainly over reported civilian deaths.

While Sri Lanka accuses the West of double standards when it comes to civilian deaths, and points to U.S. air strikes that have killed innocent people in Afghanistan and Pakistan as an example.