Q+A - Deciphering the end of Sri Lanka's war

By C. Bryson Hull

COLOMBO (Reuters) - It is a rare conflict where both the victor and the vanquished say the war is over before the last bullet has been fired. But that is what has happened in the closing chapter of Sri Lanka's 25-year war over the weekend.

Here are some questions and answers about the situation:

IS THE WAR OVER?

Technically, no. Realistically, yes. As of Sunday evening in Sri Lanka, the military said there were sporadic firefights and clearing operations going on. But there could be no safer bet than saying the Sri Lankan military has victory safely in hand.

WHY IS THERE SO MUCH CONFUSION?

First, President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) militarily defeated on Saturday. That was confusing, because at the time, the military said troops were still battling the Tigers in north-eastern Sri Lanka and said the final fight had intensified on Sunday. Muddling things further, the LTTE released a statement in the middle of Sunday saying it was doing the one thing it had vowed never to do -- laying down its weapons. The Tigers' diplomatic chief, Selvarajah Pathmanathan, gave a later interview to Channel 4 News in which he said that did not mean a surrender. That is seen as anathema to the LTTE's image of suicide before defeat, which it plays up to its network of supporters in the global Tamil diaspora.

WHAT IS THE NEXT SIGN TO LOOK FOR?

The military's announcement that it has, for the first time since 1983, taken the entirety of Sri Lanka into its control and ended combat operations. Rajapaksa is due to formally announce the end of the war in parliament on Tuesday.