A team of some 20 US military medical specialists is on a humanitarian surgical training mission in war-battered north Jaffna peninsula in Sri Lanka this week, according to US embassy here.

"American medical personnel from the US Air Force, Army and Navy are working with Sri Lankan physicians at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital to provide surgery and medical care for patients suffering from injuries and trauma caused by unexploded ordnance, including land mines," the US embassy said in a statement available on Thursday.

In addition to providing care to patients suffering from landmine injuries, the team on a mission known as Blast, Resuscitation and Victim Assistance, or BRAVA is also treating accident victims and patients with birth defects.

The program, which began earlier this week, will include medical education and hands-on training and care for hospital patients.

Besides the training offered by the US military medical specialists, several pallets of medical supplies have also been donated to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital for the humanitarian medical mission.

"The work of the BRAVA team is emblematic of the friendship between the peoples of Sri Lanka and America. By sharing their expertise and experience in humanitarian assistance, BRAVA mission personnel are providing life-changing medical care to many people in Jaffna," US ambassador to Sri Lanka Jeffrey Lunstead said while visiting the BRAVA mission in Jaffna on Wednesday.

Source: Xinhua