Sri Lankan forces attacked a rebel-held village in the north with heavy machine gun fire early Monday, just hours after rejecting the Tamil Tigers' call for a truce as a ploy to avoid certain destruction, a rebel-linked Web site reported. The military attacked the small, coastal village of Mullivaikal from the north, south and west about 3:45 a.m. Monday, TamilNet reported. The village is in a no-fire zone the government demarcated inside rebel territory as a civilian refuge. Associated Press quoted the Web site as reporting that the area was densely populated with tens of thousands of civilians. «Confrontations are taking place,» military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said. «We are moving forward.»
