Sri Lanka vows to press on with offensive against Tamil rebels

The Sri Lankan military kept up its offensive to crush the Tamil Tigers on Thursday in the rebel group's last remaining stronghold, despite the UN Security Council's expression of grave concern over a worsening humanitarian crisis in the war zone.

Meanwhile on Thursday, the military said about 2,000 ethnic Tamil civilians braved rebel fire and waded across a lagoon to escape the conflict zone, which the International Committee of the Red Cross said is wracked by fierce battles.

At least four civilians were killed and 14 others wounded when the rebels shot at them as they waded across the lagoon, which forms the front line of the war, the military said.

The Security Council issued a statement late Thursday condemning the Tigers' "acts of terrorism over many years" in the South Asian nation's bloody civil war, and urged the group to "lay down its arms and allow the tens of the thousands of civilians to leave."

The statement also spoke of "deep concern" over reports of continued artillery barrages by government forces, resulting in civilian casualties inside the slim coastal stretch of land remaining in control of the rebel group. Tens of thousands of ethnic Tamil civilians are believed to be trapped in the area as the fighting rages.

In Washington, U.S. President Barack Obama also urged the government to stop its shelling and allow international aid groups into the conflict zone. He also called on the rebel group to lay down its arms and allow civilians to leave the area.

But Sri Lankan Media Minister Lakshman Abeywardena said the military was continuing its offensive against the rebel group, formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).  

"There is no change in the government stance, despite pressure coming from several countries," he said.

The government has come under heavy international criticism for the large civilian toll in its continuing offensive against the Tigers.

The latest statements come after a makeshift hospital in the conflict zone was shelled for a second time in as many days on Wednesday, reportedly killing more than 50 people and injuring more than 80 others.

Casualty reports from the war zone are almost impossible to verify as the government has barred independent journalists from entering the area.

The rebel group has accused the military of deliberately firing on civilians, while the government says the Tamil Tigers are using civilians as human shields.

The military has denied firing heavy weapons in recent weeks as it pushes to finish off the rebels, though human rights groups and international officials say the government has continued artillery attacks.

The Tamil Tigers were banned in Canada as a terrorist group in 2006 for their use of child soldiers and suicide bombers during the country's 25-year civil war, which has killed an estimated 70,000 people.