President Mahinda Rajapaksa was given a warm welcome when he visited the Northern town of Killinochchi today (16).

The President made this goodwill visit during the traditional Sinhala and Hindu New Year period to meet with the troops stationed there.

This is the first visit by a Head of State this part of Sri Lanka in nearly three decades.

Killinochchi was considered the headquarters and administrative centre of the separatist LTTE until it was taken over by the Security Forces on January 02 this year, in the current operation to eliminate terrorism from this country.

At Killiniochchi the President was shown some of the arms and heavy weapons of the LTTE captured by the Security Forces.

President Rajapaksa later visited the Vanni Operational Headquarters at Vavuniya, where too he was warmly greeted by the Security Forces personnel. He is the first Commander-in-Chief to visit an operational area.