Lebanese army bombs camp in bid to flush out militants
This is one situation where I find Hizbullah's position opportunistic, unprincipled and frankly disgusting. Earlier in the siege of the camp, Hizbullah said that the destruction of the camp and harming the Palestinian refugees inside (40,000) was "a red line."
More than two months have passed since that declaration, and now Hizbullah, with the rest of the Lebanese, including Fascist forces, is cheering for that destruction! Hizbullah: our memories are not that short and we as Palestinians will not forget and forgive that position on your part.
Worse still, while Hizbullah was prompt in providing aid to the Lebanese refugees from last summer's destruction of their villages by Israel, no help whatsoever to the Palestinians who were displaced primarily to Baddawi refugee camp was provided by Hizbullah. To their credit, Palestinian refugees in Sidon and Tyre opened their modest homes to the Lebanese refugees last summer, but that generosity was not reciprocated by Hizbullah.
Tony Sayegh
Al-Manar Special - Hanan Awarekeh
"Lebanese army troops on Sunday again bombarded the north Lebanon Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in a bid to smash underground bunkers sheltering militants of Fatah al-Islam. A military helicopter bomb a section of the camp from where the intermittent sound of gunfire could also be heard. The raid followed one on Saturday when for the first time the military used a 400-kilogram (880-pound) bomb, instead of the 250-kilo bombs used almost daily since it began using air power on August 9.
An army spokesman said the military's firepower gave them "control of the zone held by the militants, but the army had to clean up the terrain before being able to advance."
The military estimates the militants now number only around 70 fighters but that they are holed up "in five or six well-equipped shelters." More than 100 people suspected of belonging to the militant group have been arrested. In the three months of fighting more than 200 people have been killed, including 136 soldiers. It is not known how many militants have died. Some of those held will face murder charges, the official said, while others will be charged with belonging to the group, they are Lebanese Palestinians, Saudis, Syrians and a small number of people of other nationalities.
An official said those arrested would be tried by a civilian court and that files on the suspects had been given by the military to Lebanon's state prosecutor Said Mirza, who was preparing to start prosecuting early this week.
The fighting erupted three months ago when the militant group launched a series of attacks around Nahr al-Bared and killed 27 soldiers. Some of those now being held were detained in the nearby main town of Tripoli, while others were seized trying to flee the besieged camp."
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