SRI LANKA: Civilian death toll rises as fighting continues

By pearlaction | February 4, 2009 |

[IRIN] As Sri Lankan government troops close in on the rebel Tamil Tigers, the UN has reported a rising number of civilian deaths in the northern battle zone. At least 52 people were killed in shelling in Suranthapuram village in the northeastern district of Mullaitivu when the area came under 16 hours of heavy shelling,…

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Sri Lankan hospital closes after being shelled

By pearlaction | February 4, 2009 |

[CNN] A hospital caught in the middle of fierce fighting between government forces and Tamil rebels in northern Sri Lanka has been closed down after being shelled for a ninth time in four days. A U.N. official says the facility, the last functioning hospital in the area, was fully evacuated Wednesday morning in the midst…

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UN: Cluster bombs hit hospital in Sri Lanka

By pearlaction | February 4, 2009 |

[AP] Cluster bombs struck the last functioning hospital in Sri Lanka’s northern war zone Wednesday, the U.N. said, as the country’s president declared that the military has nearly crushed a 25-year Tamil rebellion for a separate homeland. U.N. spokesman Gordon Weiss said 15 U.N. staffers and 81 family members are trapped in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area,…

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