Sri Lanka’s military reports rescuing 5,000 civilians from remaining rebel territory

Sri Lanka army: 5,000 war zone civilians rescued

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The military says troops have rescued more than 5,000 civilians from the small sliver of territory in northern Sri Lanka where remaining Tamil rebels are making their last stand.

The military has designated the area a “no-fire” zone to protect what the United Nations estimates are 100,000 civilians trapped there.

Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara says soldiers advanced into the no-fire zone Monday, seized an earth fortification built by the separatist Tamil Tigers and rescued more than 5,000 civilians.

Government forces have captured all the rebel strongholds in recent months and boxed the remaining guerrillas into the designated zone, some 7.7 square miles (20 square kilometers) on the northern coast.

The government and aid groups have accused the rebels of holding civilians there as human shields.