Sri Lankan military forces since January have escalated a campaign targeting the LTTE terrorism organization operating in the north of the island. Government security authorities say the LTTE terror outfit has resorted to an increased use of civilians as human shields, the Sri Lankan government reported.

Seven citizens recently escaped from the northern regions and say LTTE operatives threatened their lives with "forceful conscription and many other hardships," the release said.

Government officials say a growing number of people in the "un-liberated areas (are) desperately aspiring to flee the clutches of LTTE, and there exists a possibility of using these people as a human shield against the advancing troops," the release said.

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