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Child soldiers in peril: UNICEF

COLOMBO: The UNICEF has raised serious concern over the growing number of children recruited by the LTTE being killed or injured.

It said on Tuesday it had clear indications that the LTTE had intensified forcible recruitment of civilians and children as young as 14 were being targeted.

It had recorded more than 6,000 cases of children recruited by the LTTE between 2003 and 2008. It also said it was alarmed at the high number of children being injured in the fighting.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) evacuated 440 patients and their families from the Wanni to Trincomalee by ferry.

“Families continue to arrive in Putumattalan in a state of utter exhaustion and despair, hoping to be treated and rescued. But the reality is that there is an almost complete lack of medicine and relief items there,” said Paul Castella, head of the ICRC delegation in Sri Lanka.

“We did save lives today but many people remain behind, helpless and anxiously waiting to be evacuated. It is now a matter of life and death.”

The military said troops were in the process of dominating the entire Puthukkuduyiruppu western area and maintained that ground forces were engaged in pitched battles with Tiger cadre.

Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa was quoted as saying the forces had taken maximum precautions to avoid civilian casualties in the counter-terrorist manoeuvre in the north.

The Defence Ministry quoted him as saying the military had been restrained in using indirect fire at remaining terrorist enclaves to ensure safety of civilians.

“This is a very clear indication of all the precautions we are taking. We are taking casualties to prevent civilians getting hurt. This is a factor we are very concerned about. Otherwise we could have used so much artillery and just moved in,” he said.

On the fate of the LTTE chief, the Secretary said he was hiding in Wanni, along with civilians he had forcibly kept as a human shield.

“He is still here, but he must be planning to go out with other leaders. They have not decided things... whether to go, whether to remain here, whether to commit suicide. They will keep these civilians as a shield and then once they escape, they will just be let go,” he was quoted as saying.

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