Sri Lanka today ordered troops to stop using heavy weapons against the Tamil Tiger rebels, renewing a pledge the United Nations' aid chief said must be respected this time around to protect civilians.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) immediately accused the government of disregarding its own commitment by launching two air raids on the tiny rebel-held area.
Sri Lanka's announcement came a day after it dismissed an attempt to declare a truce by the rebels, now cornered in less than 10 square km of coastline by 50,000 troops fighting to finish Asia's longest modern war.
"Combat operations have reached their conclusion," a statement from President Mahinda Rajapaksa's office said. Soldiers would "confine their attempts to rescuing civilians who are held hostage and give foremost priority to saving civilians."
Troops have been ordered not to use heavy-calibre guns, combat aircraft and aerial weapons, the statement said.
Britain, the European Union, India and the United Nations welcomed Sri Lanka's promise contingent on its being implemented.
"I hope that the idea of not using heavy weapons will genuinely be respected, which I am afraid has not been the case in the past," UN aid chief John Holmes told reporters in Colombo as he finished a two-day trip to Sri Lanka.
"It's absolutely important that what the government has said is now respected," he said. The world body estimates more than 50,000 people remain in "mortal danger", he said.
The military denies accusations from the LTTE, United Nations and others that it was shelling the rebel area, which until last week had been an army-declared no-fire zone. The Tigers deny accusations they are holding the people as human shields.
The military has deployed special forces, commandos and snipers using only small arms, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara had said earlier.
Analysts said Sri Lanka's announcement appeared designed to mollify diplomatic pressure for a ceasefire, which the government has ruled out given the LTTE's history of using breaks in fighting to rearm and its rejection of two truces this year.
An internal UN tally of casualties says nearly 6,500 people have been killed in fighting since late January.