Sri Lankan Police Special Task Force commandos are seen in Katukurunda, some 43kms south of Colombo, on August 18. Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels Friday accused government forces of setting off a roadside bomb and killing two civilians inside guerrilla-held territory. (AFP/Ishara S. Kodikara) Sri Lanka Appeals To Tamils To Flee To Govt Territory -- AFP
COLOMBO (AFP) — Sri Lanka on Thursday appealed to minority ethnic Tamil civilians living in the line of fire in rebel-held towns to move to areas under government control, saying it would guarantee them safe passage.
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said the military had cleared a route for people fleeing the island's embattled north, where troops are advancing on the rebel capital of Kilinochchi, 330 kilometres (205 miles) north of Colombo.
"We plan to give passage to people from Kilinochchi to come to (government-held) Vavuniya. We're dropping leaflets from the air, encouraging people to leave, giving details of routes to take to safety," Rajapakse said.
UN aid agencies say nearly 135,000 people have been driven from their homes due to fierce fighting between government forces and Tamil Tiger separatist rebels in the past two months
Read more ....
More War News Updates On Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan Forces Seize `Strategic' Rebel Bases, Ministry Says -- Bloomberg
Fighting kills 38 rebels, 5 soldiers in Sri Lanka -- International Herald Tribune
Sri Lanka: 34 rebels, 1 soldier killed in fighting -- Yahoo News/AP
End looms for Tamil Tigers as army push is set to take final stronghold -- Scotsman
Sri Lanka advances on rebel base -- Christian Science Monitor
Sri Lanka: Tamil militants killed in army offensive -- ADN Kronos
Tigers accuse Sri Lanka military of bombing civilians -- AFP
'Safe passage' offer in Sri Lanka -- BBC
My Comment: This war is almost to an end. The next stage of this conflict is terrorism and a guerrilla war. How long that phase of the conflict is going to take will be dependent on political reconciliation .... of which there is none at the moment.