Intense fighting has civilians caught in the crossfire as the International Monetary Fund is urged to reconsider a $1.9 billion loan to Sri Lanka. More:

“Sri Lankan civilians caught between warring government forces and Tamil separatists are facing ‘an unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe’, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said.

The assessment comes as the Sri Lankan military said on Thursday that civilians continued to flee the combat zone under fire from Tamil Tiger forces using them as human shields.

…At least 2,700 civilians waded across a lagoon on Thursday while under fire from fighters from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), according to the military.

Four civilians were killed and 14 hurt as they attempted to cross the lagoon, which is currently a barrier between army forces and the LTTE, the military said.

At least another 1,000 were waiting to cross as night fell, although darkness had made it difficult to tell, said Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, a spokesman for the military.”