Battles rage at Lebanon camp, 4 soldiers die

NAHR AL-BARED – Al Qaeda-inspired militants killed four Lebanese soldiers yesterday in fierce battles at a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon, security sources said.

They said another nine soldiers were wounded in the Nahr al-Bared camp fighting that began in the early morning after Fatah al-Islam snipers shot dead two soldiers, prompting Lebanese troops to unleash barrages of artillery fire. The army and Fatah al-Islam militants have battled at the coastal Nahr al-Bared camp for nearly eight weeks.At least 209 people have been killed, making it Lebanon’s worst internal violence since the 1975-1990 civil war.Security and political sources said on Wednesday the army, concerned about being sucked into a war of attrition, had decided to mount an all-out assault on the camp to root out the militants, who have defied demands that they surrender.But a military statement denied yesterday’s fighting was a final push.”The current ongoing military operations are still in the framework of tightening the noose on the gunmen to force them to surrender and submit to justice,” it said.Witnesses said the army was bombarding the camp from all sides, often at a rate of 7 to 10 artillery shells per minute.Black smoke billowed from the camp’s bombed-out, smouldering buildings, most of which have been reduced to rubble.Thursday’s fighting was the most ferocious since the Lebanese defence minister declared on June 21 that all major combat operations had ceased at Nahr al-Bared after the army seized all militants’ posts in its outskirts.A 1969 Arab agreement banned Lebanese security forces from entering Palestinian camps.The agreement was annulled by the Lebanese parliament in the mid 1980s but the accord effectively stayed in place.At least 91 soldiers, 75 militants and 43 civilians have been killed in fighting with Islamist militants in the camp and other areas since May 20.Meanwhile, Lebanon’s worsening political and security situation is likely to have a negative impact on the UN probe of the the 2005 murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, according to a UN report released here yesterday.The 20-page document, which reviews progress made by the enquiry commission led by Belgian prosecutor Serge Brammertz since its March report, expressed concern about the deteriorating environment in Lebanon over the past few months.Nampa-ReutersThe army and Fatah al-Islam militants have battled at the coastal Nahr al-Bared camp for nearly eight weeks.At least 209 people have been killed, making it Lebanon’s worst internal violence since the 1975-1990 civil war.Security and political sources said on Wednesday the army, concerned about being sucked into a war of attrition, had decided to mount an all-out assault on the camp to root out the militants, who have defied demands that they surrender.But a military statement denied yesterday’s fighting was a final push.”The current ongoing military operations are still in the framework of tightening the noose on the gunmen to force them to surrender and submit to justice,” it said.Witnesses said the army was bombarding the camp from all sides, often at a rate of 7 to 10 artillery shells per minute.Black smoke billowed from the camp’s bombed-out, smouldering buildings, most of which have been reduced to rubble.Thursday’s fighting was the most ferocious since the Lebanese defence minister declared on June 21 that all major combat operations had ceased at Nahr al-Bared after the army seized all militants’ posts in its outskirts.A 1969 Arab agreement banned Lebanese security forces from entering Palestinian camps.The agreement was annulled by the Lebanese parliament in the mid 1980s but the accord effectively stayed in place.At least 91 soldiers, 75 militants and 43 civilians have been killed in fighting with Islamist militants in the camp and other areas since May 20. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s worsening political and security situation is likely to have a negative impact on the UN probe of the the 2005 murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, according to a UN report released here yesterday.The 20-page document, which reviews progress made by the enquiry commission led by Belgian prosecutor Serge Brammertz since its March report, expressed concern about the deteriorating environment in Lebanon over the past few months.Nampa-Reuters