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Breaking: Terrorists 'using civilians as human shields' in north Lebanon
EFL - More at linkTripoli- Lebanese army gunners pounded hideouts of heavily armed Fatah al-Islam terrorists in the northern refugee camp of Nahr el-Bared Monday in an apparent effort to uproot the group that is targeting the nation's stability. Staccato bursts of machine gun fire and the explosion of howitzer shells echoed across the camp and the nearby northern town of Tripoli shortly after heavily-armed terrorists of Fatah al-Islam burst out of their seafront enclave and opened fire on rescuers trying to evacuated civilians wounded in the cross-fire of clashes with the Lebanese army.Sources in Nahr el-Bared, which has an estimated population of 40.000 refugees, told Naharnet around 200 fighters from Fatah al-Islam streamed across the narrow alleys of the camp opening fire from assault rifles at rescuers trying to evacuate civilians wounded in the cross-fire. Wedad, a Native of the camp, told Naharnet by telephone the terrorists are "using us as human shields." "They have taken the population hostage. They even interrupted the evacuation of the wounded civilians. They opened fire at civilians who were trying to run away from the camp" to safer areas in the nearby Baddawi camp and the northern town of Triploi, said Wedad who was reached through her mobile telephone. Abdul Qader, a 50-year-old resident of the camp, said about 150-200 armed elements from Fatah al-Islam carried out a broad-front advance from their beach enclave across the narrow streets of the camp and took up sniping nests on rooftops and in residential apartments from which they opened fire on rescuers and Lebanese troops. Abdul Qader, himself a veteran Palestinian guerrilla who had fought for the mainstream Fatah faction, said terrorists had brought in seaborne support by fishing boats from neighboring Syria to fight what appears to be a final showdown with the Lebanese army. "They appear determined to fight it out to the end, with the civilian population forced to serve as human shield for their fighters. They shoot at every civilian who tries to evacuate the camp and seek refuge with the Lebanese army," Abdul Qader told Naharnet."In brief," he said, "the whole camp population was taken hostage by Fatah al-Islam."Before Fatah al-Islam gunmen took control of the whole camp, rescuers from the Lebanese Red Cross and the Palestinian Red Crescent committees managed to evacuate eight wounded civilians. As fighting raged, Palestinian factions issued a statement saying about 50 people were killed and wounded by the cross-fire.The statement pleaded with the government of Premier Fouad Siniora to intervene and "protect the civilian population." This article brought to you by the Brave Lions of Islam™ Sadly, this is what it is going to take for Arab Muslim populations to finally realize that terrorism threatens them just as much as it does the West. One can only hope that they begin to understand how important it is to monitor and report subversive activity BEFORE IT GETS THEM KILLED. I really wish I could muster some sympathy here but the Palestinians have struggled valiantly to place themselves in this position and they can rot in Hell for it. Posted by: Zenster 2007-05-22 |
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