The World - News from Aug. 13, 1989

Indian troops in Sri Lanka killed at least 51 civilians after being attacked by Tamil rebels in a northern town, Tamil sources said. They said 40 houses and 23 shops were set afire by the soldiers after an Indian patrol was ambushed Aug. 2 in Velvettiturai, 200 miles north of Colombo. At least six Indian soldiers were killed in the attack, military officials said at the time. In New Delhi, a government spokesman said there were 18 civilian casualties in an exchange of gunfire after the ambush. He said the rebels used civilians as cover while firing at the Indian patrol.