SLIDESHOW: The A-9 highway, a lifeline in Sri Lanka

SLIDESHOW: The A-9 highway, a lifeline in Sri Lanka:

KANDY/JAFFNA, 1 November 2012 (IRIN) - The A-9 highway in Sri Lanka plays a symbolic role connecting the central and northern parts of the island. The road - which connects the city of Kandy, in the central hills of the island, with Jaffna, a city on the Northern Peninsula - runs through locations like Omanthai, Kilinochchi, Paranthan, Elephant Pass and Chavakachcheri, where fierce battles took place during the country's long civil war.