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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Lebanon army seizes huge warehouse of explosives for militants |
| 2007-06-15 |
| The Lebanese army today found and seized a huge warehouse of explosives for Fatah al Islam militants. This find according to the army "reveals the true intentions of this terrorist organization" Sporadic gunfire echoed around the northern Lebanese refugee camp of Naher al-Bared on Thursday where the army claimed advances in its weeks-long siege of Islamists. "Fatah al-Islam snipers holed up inside Naher al-Bared have been firing at army positions, which responded with bursts of heavy machine-gun fire," an army officer told reporters , asking not to be named. He said Wednesday night had been the quietest since fighting began at the Palestinian camp on May 20 despite the deaths of two soldiers from sniper fire during the day at the site of the deadliest fighting in decades. "Fatah al-Islam's firepower has greatly diminished because of troop advances over the past two days along the seafront toward Fatah al-Islam positions," he said. The mounting toll in the north of the country together with a Beirut seafront bombing targeting an anti-Syrian MP that killed 10 on Wednesday have ignited fears about wider civil strife in the deeply divided country. Over 140 people have been killed in the clashes, including 63 soldiers and 50 militants of the Al-Qaeda inspired Fatah al-Islam movement, since fighting broke out in the camp and the nearby port of Tripoli. A special forces unit earlier in the week destroyed the house of Fatah al-Islam leader Shaker al-Absi. Absi was not in the house at the time, and his whereabouts are unknown. A new leader Shahine Shahine , a Moroccan appears to be in control of the militants On Tuesday, the army arrested four Fatah al-Islam fighters, and about 200 refugees escaped from the camp during lulls in fighting. Before Tuesday's escape, about 3,000 civilians were thought to remain stranded in increasingly desperate conditions inside the camp, one of 12 that are home to more than half of the estimated 400,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. |
| Posted by:Fred |