The Lebanese army continued their offensive against the Fatah
al-Islam militants, who are holing up in the Palestinian refugee
camp of Nahr al-Bared in northern Lebanon, with heavy pounding
throughout Sunday.
Meanwhile, the army clashed with Islamic fighters at another
Palestinian refugee camp, raising the specter of a possible
spreading of violence to other parts of the country.
The fresh outbreak of violence occurred at the Ein el-Helweh
camp at the suburb of southern city of Sidon.
The fighting started as militants from the Syria-based Jund
al-Sham group threw explosives at an army position at the edge of
the camp. The attack sparked fierce exchanges of rifle fire and
grenades between Lebanese soldiers and Jund al-Sham members.
The fighting also involved the mainstream Fatah organization at
the army's side, according to local media. The mainstream Fatah
group backed the army in its fighting against the Fatah al-Islam
militants, which it said "had nothing to do with the Palestinians
nor Islam."
According to medical sources in Sidon, so far five people have
been injured in the fighting.
Ein el-Helweh is the largest of the 12 Palestinian refugee camps
in Lebanon. Protests had been launched there days after the
outbreak of deadly fighting between the army and Fatah al-Islam
militants in the Nahr al-Bared camp in northern Lebanon on May
20.
In the north, the military, backed by tanks and helicopters, has
tightened its siege around the camp where Fatah al-Islam militiamen
are still holding out.
Earlier, Lebanon's national news agency NNA reported that four
Islamist militants were killed in Nahr al-Bared camp on Sunday, and
two soldiers, who had been killed overnight, were buried on
Sunday.
According to the pan-Arab al-Jazeera TV, more than 16 people,
fighters and civilians, have died in the camp over the weekend.
Fatah al-Islam said it has lost three fighters. But the precise
death toll inside the camp is not known.
Fatah al-Islam over the weekend refused renewed demands by the
army and Prime Minister Fouad Seniora to surrender. A spokesman
said that they would rather die than give up their weapons.
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The militants in Nahr al-Bared had also called on other radical
groups to join them in their battle with the army, after fighting
escalated on Friday.
(Xinhua News Agency June 4, 2007)
