Tamil Tiger guerillas in Sri Lanka say more than eleven-thousand people have fled to Tiger-controlled areas, following a government offensive which recaptured a key northern town, Oddusudan.

The Tigers said they were sheltering in schools and public buildings.

The offensive follows the end of attempts by the Sri Lankan army to retake the highway running from Tiger-controlled areas to the Jaffna peninsular - with a third still remaining under rebel control.

The BBC Sri Lanka Correspondent says a failed recruitment drive by the government appears to have forced the army to scale back its operations