U.S. calls to avoid civilian casualties in Sri Lanka
The United States on Monday expressed its deep concern over the bloody conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels, in which the two sides to prevent civilian casualties. "We believe that there is an unacceptably high level of civilian casualties," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said at the daily press briefing, adding that the United States urge the LTTE to "lay down the arms and the civilian population to leave the safe zone. " "The government of Sri Lanka should be by his statement that on April 27 combat operations, and security forces should end the use of heavy weapons, which of course could lead to victims among the civilian population," said the spokesman. In recent months, the Government of Sri Lanka, of course, has its military operations against the LTTE in the northeast of the country, vowing the return of democracy to the LTTE-dominated region by reducing the militant group. The government praised to win the war, what was said by President Mahinda Rajapaksa as a "victory for the forces in the vicinity." But the operation has caused international criticism of thousands of civilians killed. The Government of Sri Lanka, the LTTE for the holding civiliansas human shields, while the militant group accused the government of indiscriminately firing on Tamil civilians. The LTTE, led a violent campaign for decades for an independent country in the northeast of Sri Lanka was declared a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and some 30 other countries. The violent conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE militant forces claimed some 70,000 lives since 1983. |
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