UN pledeges $10 mn for Sri Lanka's war victims

UN humanitarian chief John Holmes Monday told Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse that the global organisation would provide $10 million to the country's war displaced civilians.

Holmes and Rajapake discussed the humanitarian situation in northern parts of the country that is still partly controlled by the Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The UN humanitarian chief arrived in Colombo Saturday on a three-day visit to the country amid global concern for the war-affected civilians.

Tens of thousands of civilians are believed to be trapped in the conflict zone where the government troops and the LTTE are locked in fierce fighting.

The government said Monday that its combat operations against the LTTE have reached conclusion and the security forces would concentrate on humanitarian operations in the north.