Tamil Tigers 'putting 11-year-old girls on the front line'

Child soldiers including girls as young as 11 have been forced to fight on the front line by retreating Tamil Tiger rebels, senior Sri Lankan army officers have claimed.

By Dean Nelson in Puthumatalan Lagoon
Last Updated: 8:58PM BST 03 May 2009

Division commanders described discovering their enemy included a conscript army of children as they stood on the edge of the 'no fire zone' where 50,000 civilians are believed to be trapped by the once-feared Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elaam (LTTE) making their last stand.

As both sides in the conflict traded claims of war crimes, one army commander spoke of his regret that his men had shot and killed young girls.

Brigadier Priyantha, who commands an artillery division in the north told The Daily Telegraph: "It's like looking at your own child. Quite large numbers [of the dead] are under 16.

"They grab them from their parents and they try to pull them back they get shot. These children have the dog tags and cyanide capsules. The younger children [captured] go for rehabilitation programme."

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