Sri Lanka army 'kills 15 rebels'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/7970640.stm

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The Sri Lankan armed forces say they have killed at least 15 Tamil Tiger rebels in intense battles in the north of the country.

The government says it has now restricted the rebels to an area of less than 25 sq km.

But pro-rebel websites say that the guerrillas have been offering stiff resistance to the army's offensive.

There is no independent confirmation of the events as journalists cannot report from the conflict zone.

The fighting in north-eastern Sri Lanka has become intense as the army attempts to capture remaining rebel positions in the Mullaitivu district.

The Sri Lankan army says soldiers destroyed many rebel positions in the Puthukudiyiruppu region.

A military spokesperson told the BBC that the army had also suffered casualties but the number was minimal.

Pro-rebel websites also said the guerrillas had been inflicting casualties on the security forces.

The escalation in fighting comes amid increasing international concern over the condition of tens of thousands of civilians caught up in the conflict zone.

Civilians in crossfire

International bodies, including the United Nations, have called for a temporary pause in the fighting to allow time for civilians to escape from the war zone.

But the government says the rebels have always used any pause in the fighting to regroup.

On Saturday, a ship evacuating civilians from the conflict zone was caught in crossfire.

The International Committee of the Red Cross says a ferry evacuating more than 500 sick and wounded people was hit by a stray bullet but there was no damage to the boat or its passengers.

This is the first time that a relief vessel has been hit.

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