Sri Lanka promises it will not endanger civilians

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Hundreds of civilians fled Sri Lanka's northern war zone Friday as the president promised the United Nations that the military would safeguard noncombatants while it pushed ahead with its offensive to crush the Tamil Tiger rebels.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa's assurances came after Sri Lankan forces captured the rebels' biggest sea base, effectively cutting off their main supply point and driving them closer to defeat, and the government rejected calls for a cease-fire that would allow civilians to escape the fighting.