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| Middle East |
| IDF blows Hebron compound |
| 2002-06-29 |
| Israeli military officials say they likely killed 15 wanted militants in two overnight explosions at the Palestinian Authority headquarters in the West Bank City of Hebron. The powerful overnight blasts at the municipal and security offices completely flattened the building. The force of the explosions overturned cars and damaged nearby buildings. The Israeli army says it used two tons of explosives. Try strapping that on a 16-year-old, you al-Aqsa orifices! Israeli forces first moved in on the headquarters last Tuesday before tearing into walls around the building, occasionally exchanging gunfire with those inside. Many Palestinian security personnel left the complex earlier this week, and at least 20 wanted men turned themselves in. But about 15 suspected militants refused to surrender. Too bad for them, wasn't it? On Friday, a former Palestinian cabinet member (Talal Sidr) went into the headquarters to work on negotiations for a surrender, but said he did not find anyone in the parts of the badly damaged building he was able to reach. Israeli forces later intensified their attack on the building. Witnesses said a huge explosion sent sparks high in the air. The army says engineers set off a controlled blast late Friday, targeting those holed up inside. A second blast early today left the building in ruins. There are no reports that any bodies have been found. If they are, they can be picked up with a scraper... Palestinian officials told the French news agency they are not sure if anyone was in the building when it was demolished. But they're hoping there weren't. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #1 So supposedly there was no return fire for at least 24 hours, but the IDF insisted there were 15 gunnies inside. Meanwhile, a PA guy says he can't find anybody. That seems like an ironic reversal; wouldn't you expect the opposite? In any case, one hopes the IDF sonar-mapped all the tunnels. Who knows, maybe the PA guy who went in ... was one of the 15 guys they said were still in there. Badaboom! |
| Posted by: Dan Hartung 2002-06-29 09:17:45 |