Fighting intensifies in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | Fierce fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people in northern Sri Lanka, as government troops advance deeper into the Tamil rebels’ last stronghold in an aggressive bid to crush them by the end of the year.

More than 112,000 ethnic Tamils have fled from their homes over the past two months amid daily gunbattles, shelling and air attacks, aid agencies say.

The United Nations estimates the total number of displaced in rebel-held areas is now around 145,000, an unprecedented level in the island nation’s long-running conflict.

Officials warn the figure could soar above 200,000 in the weeks ahead.

The government launched an all-out offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in January after abandoning a tattered Norwegian-brokered cease-fire. Since then, nearly 6,000 rebels have been killed and their territory has shrunk by almost 75 percent, according to the Ministry of Defense.

The LTTE, listed as a terrorist organization by the State Department, disputes those figures.

Actual casualties are impossible to independently verify, since reporters are barred from the war zone and aid agencies are heavily restricted, though observers agree the military has made steady gains.

Security forces are currently trying to cut off a critical LTTE sea-supply line along the west coast of the northern Wanni region and simultaneously drive up the eastern flank to surround the political capital of Kilinochchi, where rebel chief Prabakharan is believed to be holed up in an underground bunker complex.

“There is no turning back under any circumstances or influence now until every inch of land is recaptured and each and every terrorist is killed or captured,” Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse told a rally this week.

While the military push in the north gathers momentum, the humanitarian crisis there worsens by the day.

Shifting front lines and shelling exchanges have compelled thousands of families to stay on the move to avoid harm´s way, according to the United Nations.

The military has confirmed that artillery barrages along the southern edge of the war zone have made some exit points off-limits, effectively trapping people inside.

In areas where access is permitted, aid agencies are handing out emergency shelter kits and tarpaulins while scouting for additional sites to accommodate the growing masses of displaced.

But aid officials say that tight restrictions on the transport of goods into the region have hamstrung the distribution of food, shelter materials, water and sanitation equipment, and fuel to evacuate civilians.

Ron Redmond, spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said last week that relief supplies are running “dangerously low,” and he called on both sides to allow for safe passage.

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