Sri Lanka has admitted bombing a "safe haven" created for up to 150,000 civilians fleeing fighting between Tamil Tiger fighters and the army.
The foreign minister, Palitha Kohona, confirmed the raids after leaked images from the UN appeared to show that the military had shelled the tiny coastal area of Mulattivu, in the north east. He told al-Jazeera TV that the raids had been carried out weeks ago and were targeted at Tamil Tiger artillery, well away from civilians.
"As long as the retaliation is proportionate, it is perfectly legitimate and what we did was locate and retaliate against those guns," he said. "I would challenge anybody to say these shell holes were created once the civilians moved into the area."
Sri Lanka's president Mahinda Rajapaksa has repeatedly denied that the military attacked civilian areas with heavy weapons. "If you are not willing to accept the fact that we are not using heavy weapons, I really can't help it," he has said. He rejected calls for a ceasefire despite the outcry over the leaked satellite images.
The most recent was taken on 19 April and indicates heavy destruction in an area covering 3.8 square miles.
The Associated Press reported that the military had fired 100 shells into the area between Thursday night and yesterday morning. A government health official who witnessed the barrage said one shell hit a tree and exploded, scattering shrapnel over civilians below and killing 10.
US officials say there are credible reports that Tamil Tigers are using civilians as human shields. International concern over trapped Tamil civilians has grown following a UN report that nearly 6,500 were killed in the last three months.