Becuase Everything Else Sucks

Fighting Spreads to a Second Refugee Camp in Lebanon

By Manila Ryce
Published Monday, June 4th, 2007, 4:23 am
Filed under: World: Asia, Human Rights, Society/Culture: Civil Unrest, Terrorism

A rocket-propelled grenade attack on an army checkpoint near Ain al-Hilweh in southern Lebanon has sparked an exchange of rifle fire and grenades between Lebanese soldiers and members of Jund al-Sham in a second Palestinian refugee camp. Jund al-Sham is another radical Sunni group which has expressed support for Fatah al-Islam’s fight in recent days.

The Lebanese army brought in reinforcements and deployed armored vehicles mounted with heavy machine guns. Peace was restored for a few hours, but the fighting started back up on Sunday night. Three soldiers and two Palestinian civilians were wounded.

Meanwhile, arrested members of Fatah al-Islam have confessed that the group was planning a major attack in Lebanon. “Fatah al-Islam planned to attack a large hotel in the capital using four suicide truck bombs at the same time as launching suicide attacks on embassies in east and west Beirut,” Lebanon’s An-Nahar daily reported.

When speaking about the over two-week-old conflict in Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, a Fatah al-Islam spokesman told Al Jazeera, “We are inflicting great damage on the part of the Lebanese army. We are … in total control of the battlefield… We have the upper hand in fighting at the moment. We will never surrender… we will fight till the last drop of blood.”

Additionally, humanitarian organizations said on Sunday that the majority of remaining refugees in Nahr al-Bared were elderly or disabled. No relief supplies have been taken into the camp since Friday. Approximately 150 people stuck in the camp are in wheelchairs.

source

Update: Exclusive footage of Ain al-Hilweh camp available below the fold

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