Sri Lanka's Jaffna gets aid, troops die in blast

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka, Aug 26 (Reuters) The Red Cross evacuated foreigners from Sri Lanka's northern Jaffna peninsula and troops delivered aid today after a two-week siege, but the army said a bomb left by withdrawing rebels killed six soldiers.

The fighting between Tamil Tiger rebels and government forces, the first ground battles since a 2002 ceasefire, has displaced more than 200,000 people and cut off half a million in Jaffna from essential supplies. Shortages are rising.

A Red Cross-flagged cargo ship that arrived off Jaffna on Thursday night was unloading around 1,500 tonnes of food, the first shipment since fighting blocked road access two weeks ago.

Most food was to be distributed free from co-operative shops to the poorest and sold to the rest at fixed prices mainly from Monday.

Troops distributed some to displaced people in a Hindu temple near one of the main military bases.

''There's no other way to find food,'' said retired farmer Kandasamy Sutaiya, 80, as a crowd mobbed the food truck, barely reacting as a nearby army artillery position began to fire towards rebel territory. ''It's very difficult.'' A ferry also flying the Red Cross flag was due to load the first 150 of an estimated 500 people, mostly aid staff and those trapped in Jaffna with foreign passports.

The Red Cross said evacuees would be taken out to the ferry by small boat, would sail from Jaffna tonight and arrive in the northeastern port of Trincomalee early tomorrow.

Intermittent artillery fire was heard in Jaffna overnight. The military said rebels had withdrawn from some previously captured army positions but had left an improvised bomb.

''The troops were consolidating the position and checking,'' said army spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarsinghe. ''A soldier just put his foot on it and it exploded. Six are dead, four wounded.'' More Reuters DKA VV1611