COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Civilians in Sri Lanka are increasingly suffering casualties as the military battles rebels in the country's north and along its coastline, observers say.
Voice of America reported Tuesday that diplomats and aid organizations say hundreds of thousands of people
appear trapped in northern Sri Lanka, where the military is fighting members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
Among those expressing concern for Sri Lankan civilians in the crossfire is U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. He has called on the military and rebels to respect safety zones and civilian infrastructure.
U.N. spokesman Gordon Weiss says there are few humanitarian workers in the area.
"We have a population of 200,000 to 300,000 persons who are cut off from the rest of Sri Lanka, surrounded by Sri Lankan government military forces," he said. "And, seeded among the population, and in and around them, there are the LTTE fighters who are under severe pressure from the Sri Lankan military and they're fighting a desperate battle for survival."
Voice of America noted that the LTTE fighters have waged a decades-long struggle against the primarily Buddhist Sinhalese in the south.
