Military blamed for death of tens of thousands of civilians in 2009
(NEWSER) - Civilians were slaughtered by Sri Lankan government forces and Tamil Tigers alike in the bloody final phase of the island nation's civil war, according to a hard-hitting report from a United Nations panel. The report accuses the Sri Lankan military of urging civilians in the separatist north to gather in "no-fire zones," which were then shelled extensively by the government, killing tens of thousands of people in early 2009. The Tigers, for their part, used civilians as human shields and shot those who tried to flee, according to the files. The atrocities "would amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity," read the report. More»
