An international rights group today urged Sri Lanka's military to stop firing artillery into a designated «no fire» zone, saying civilian casualties were skyrocketing, according to AP. The plea came as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon telephoned Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa to discuss the plight of about 100,000 civilians trapped in the zone. New York-based Human Rights Watch said the area has been subjected to heavy shelling since Tuesday. «Sri Lanka's so-called 'no-fire zone' is now one of the most dangerous places in the world,» said Brad Adams, the group's Asia director, in a statement. Adams said the artillery barrages were «causing skyrocketing casualties.» A doctor in the region told the group more than 120 people were killed over a three-day period and about 700 were wounded, the statement said.
