The Sri Lankan government announced that the 25 year civil war there is effectively over and that Velupillai Prabhakaran, the founder and leader of the LTTE is dead.  This final victory was the inevitable consequence of a military operation that began in earnest in January and has claimed the lives of approximately 7,000 civilians.  Al Jazeera English captures some dramatic footage of the final moments of the fighting.  

The immediate concern for the international community has to be with the plight of Tamil civilians now interned at detention facilities run by the Sri Lankan military. From all available accounts, the conditions inside these facilities is deplorable. International humanitarian organizations are barred from entry, and civilians are prevented from leaving. The EU is calling for an inquiry into human rights abuses in Sri Lanka. The United States and the rest of the world should join the cause.