Two Lebanese soldiers killed in new Palestinian refugee camp fighting
Army shelling of pro-Al-Qaida militants entrenched in Nahr al-Bared camp resumes early on Tuesday.
By ReutersTwo Lebanese soldiers were killed on Tuesday at a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon where fighting between troops and Islamist militants is in its fifth week, security sources said.
They said another Lebanese soldier died on Tuesday from wounds sustained earlier.
Witnesses said army shelling resumed early in the morning of pro-Al-Qaida militants entrenched in the Nahr al-Bared camp and later intensified on the camp's eastern side. Television footage showed smoke billowing from punctured buildings.
On Monday, sources said the army appeared to be close to its main goal of crushing all of Fatah al-Islam's positions on the outskirts of the camp, one month into the fighting.
The army has destroyed one of the group's main positions, the Samed complex, which used to be a weapons store and training centre.
Security sources said Lebanese troops discovered the bodies of seven militants in a building where they were checking for boobytraps.
The fighting is Lebanon's worst internal violence since the 1975-1990 civil war. At least 162 people, including 73 soldiers, more than 57 militants and 32 civilians, have been killed.
The army has slowly encroached on the area controlled by the militants, without entering the camp's official boundaries. Security forces are barred from going into Lebanon's 12 Palestinian refugee camps under a 1969 Arab agreement.
Mediation efforts are underway to arrange for a ceasefire, a Palestinian source said. The plan would entail putting the army in full control of all the camp's outskirts and confine the militants to a small part of it. Negotiations would then start over the remaining militants' fate.
Lebanese authorities have demanded the militants surrender, but Fatah al-Islam has vowed to fight to the death.
Fatah al-Islam emerged late last year after its leader, Shaker al-Abssi, and some 200 fighters split from the pro-Syrian Palestinian faction Fatah al-Intifada (Uprising). Lebanon's Western-backed government says Fatah al-Islam is linked to Syrian intelligence, a charge denied by Damascus and the group itself. Abssi has said he supports Al-Qaida's ideas but has no organizational ties to Osama bin Laden's network.
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Jake , jake , my friend read what you just wrote:" if there is an international conspiracy to neutralize threats to Israel? " And do you find that strange and surprising ? Syria and Iran government, get their weapons from russia , like you said, Lebanon can't because it's "a western backed government" so it has to get it from the US right? and you think the US will give Lebanon better or equal weapons to those of Israel's hahahahahahahaha
Jake , jake , my friend read what you just wrote:" if there is an international conspiracy to neutralize threats to Israel? " And do you find that strange and surprising ? Syria and Iran government, get their weapons from russia , like you said, Lebanon can't because it's "a western backed government" so it has to get it from the US right? and you think the US will give Lebanon better or equal weapons to those of Israel's hahahahahahahaha
Isn't it a little early for the Lebanese Army to be declaring victory?
"The international community was right not to allow the Lebanese army to purchase weapons from above since it would engender a great threat to the juish state." Sounds like the latest Lebanese conspiracy theory, which makes up for the lack of progress over there. How is that Syria and Iran can get hold of the latest and greatest Russian and Chinese military technologies, and Lebanon can't? How is it that Saudi Arabia and UAE have more sophisticated US war planes than Israel, if there is an international conspiracy to neutralize threats to Israel? Accept responsibility. Lebanon still hasn't learned the art of sovereignty.
When the Lebanese Army shell civilian areas and kill many civilians as a result, the world stands silent, yet when Israel accidentally kills civilians it is all of a sudden a "crime against humanity"! The international community and the media don't even bother trying to hide their bias any more...
JCA, you are comparing appels and oranges. The Lebanese army can settle down around the camp and lob in munitions. They needn't worry about being attacked from all sides. The truth of the matter is that it had been pathetically slow in getting rid of this terror group. One need only ask, given how "ethical" this army is, why they chose to go after this terror group as opposed to Hezbollah? Of course we know the "ethical distinction" is that it could prevail over this small terror group as opposed to Hezbollah. In short, this was a fight between an adult and toddlers with big weapons. Given the number of Lebanese army dead and civilians, this is an embarrasement!
Jake my friend, u are not totally wrong but at the end of the day you are not right. The Lebanese army has crushed the fate7 l islam militants according to Lebanese media. It took them a month, but they finally succeeded. Which proves one thing. The international community was right not to allow the Lebanese army to purchase weapons from above since it would engender a great threat to the juish state. You should see the Lebanese army equipment Jake, the WWII nazi army was more technologically advanced. And despite all of its undermining liabilities, the lebanese army has succeeded in a test the great IDF with all its war machine failed during the last Lebanese war: A Guerilla battle.
You should cut the Lebanese army some slack. My understanding is that they are not permitted to enter the refugee camp were the badboys are ensconced. Rule 1 of warfare is that you have to occupy the ground. If they cant do that they are reduced to pulverizing the entire camp to make the badboys go away. That's impossible.
We in Canada remember the Canadian soldier who was killed by an Israeli bomb at a U.N. installation. The entire installation was destroyed and other U.N. personel killed. Many Canadians were outraged by Israel until they learned of an e-mail sent by our deceased soldier before he died. In it he complained that Hezbollah was using the U.N. facility for cover. The Israelies targeted Hezbollah but hit the facility. So the truth of the matter is the problem is Hezbollah. Israel represents zero threat to Lebanon. It has no interest in it. On the contrary, Israelies understand that if peace ever broke out in Lebanon, citizens of both countries would thrive economically. As to refugees, yes there are refugees and some sort of solution needs to be found for them. But note there were less Palestinian refugees than the 850,000 Jewish refugees from Arab countries. These are not people who left on a wholesale basis because they were treated well!
Actually, the difference is that Israel was much more ethical. It had its soldiers captured by a non Lebanese Government terror group/militia who over the years had been reigning rockets into Israeli civilian territories. As fighting began, Israel warned civilians to get out. It had no ambition other than to get rid of the threat on the northern frontier. As to collective punishment, you could say the same about the Lebanese army. 37 civilians have died. What did they do? You see the real problem is that modern terror groups secret themselves into civilian populations. This makes it very difficult, really impossible, to eliminate them or even fight them without killing innocent life. Moreover, in the moment of fighting, it is impossible in split seconds to determine whether someone is a mere innocent civilian, a civilian aiding and abetting the enemy or the enemy.
in dealing with a state-within-a-state on its own territory. Not with Fatahland back in the 70's, not with Hizbullahland last year, and not with Fatah al Islam today. Hell, just yesterday, a terror group from inside Lebanon fired Katyusha rockets into Israel. The Lebanese government condemned it, but doesn't know how to stop it, just like they don't know how to stop Fatah al Islam, nor Hizbullah, nor any other renegade armed group.
The difference is that Israel is invading and occupying land in doing so...Israel does not allow refugees to flee to other parts of the country (except if they willingly leave the country all together), Israel drops 1.5 million cluster bombs in civilian areas, Israel takes out power plants, water plants, airports, bridges, in a form of collective punishment....do you get the point?
The difference between the Lebanese army and the IDF is that while the Lebanese army is fighting a terrorist organization that has vowed to turn Lebanon into an extremist islamist state, the IDF attacked a national resistance who has for purpose to liberate the country's soil (At least, this is what they state, hence, beleiving it or not is another matter). As for the ethical part, the Lebanese army clearly stated that it could terminate this plague in a matter of days if it didnt care about civilian casualties. During the last Lebanon war on the other hand, the IDF kept raining cluster bombs on civilians even when they were not sure if this would put an end to the hezbollah militants. Therefore my friend in terms of ethical standards, it is completely inappropriate to compare the Lebansese army to the IDF, keeping in mind, that in terms of affectionate link to the palestinian cause, the Lebanese people couldn t care less since their country was burned to ashes at their expense...
What makes this more ethical than any other country fighting Islamic terrorists? For example, they have destroyed many buildings belonging to terrorists and killed at least 20 civilians. Israel as well has killed innocent civilians and destroyed civilian structures in its quest against terror, but it is deemed unethical and a violation of international law and human rights. What, quite frankly, is the difference, other than Israel being Israel and being held to higher standards?
The Lebanese army has proven once again its efficiency and effectiveness against extremist and conformist individuals by crushing their inspirations of establishing an Islamic sovereignty in Lebanon. The Army's leaders have also demonstrated their high ethical standards, a quality merely inexistant in the army commanders of Lebanon's neighbouring countries. God bless the Lebanese army so that its epic soldiers may carry out their holy mission in order to guarantee the safety and security of this lovely country and its heroic citizens.