The government says the significance of the capture of Elephant Pass is the linking of Jaffna to the South via the A9 for the first time since 2006.

Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama flanked by six ministers and Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan MP, told a news conference at the Presidential Secretariat on Friday, that securing Elephant Pass was more than symbolic, as it is the main gateway to Jaffna. 

"While peace talks were on in 2006, the LTTE blocked Elephant Pass resulting in 600,000 northerners not having an easy passage to the South. But the government had successfully overcome that situation, while ensuring that there were no civilian casualties. This also makes the final push on Mullaitivu much easier."

 He thanked the international community for all the assistance provided to Sri Lanka to defeat the LTTE and its terror tactics and added that the victorious march of the security forces also enabled UN agencies to deal with humanitarian issues, which they were very concerned about.

 The Sri Lankan government’s zero tolerance policy against terrorism and the victory it has achieved is an example to the entire world, Bogollagama said. 

There was pessimism and sarcasm when the government launched its mission to destroy the LTTE, but now all those voices have been silenced, he said "We are not looking at just military victories but also sustainable peace within which we can bring about a political solution to the national question".