Sri Lankan troops close to crushing last Tamil rebels

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Up to 80,000 civilians have fled the country's northern war zone in the past two days as fighting intensifies and conditions worsen, the military said today.

In the past few months government troops have ousted the rebels - who are fighting to create an independent homeland for the ethnic minority Tamils - from all their former strongholds and hemmed them into what the government previously described as a "no fire" zone to protect civilians. But troops entered the eight-square-mile zone this week.

The military broke through a key rebel bunker in the coastal strip on Monday and by last night up to 80,000 had fled the area.

The United Nations and human rights groups have expressed grave concerns for trapped civilians, who they say are being used as human shields. They fear the government may soon launch its "final assault" after the rebels ignored a 24-hour ultimatum to surrender.

The UN has called for a negotiated truce to allow civilians to leave the rebel-held enclave. But the government has refused to heed such calls, saying it is on the verge of crushing the rebels.